JEFFERSON CITY — Representatives of Missouri’s business community are uniting in opposition to Proposition A, a ballot initiative that will make eating out, buying groceries and shopping on main street more expensive. Proposition A would significantly increase operating costs and liability for all Missouri employers and dramatically affect the state’s restaurants, grocery stores and other small businesses.

Proposition A would increase Missouri’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, well above the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. After 2026, the minimum wage would continue to increase based on the rate of inflation. Missouri’s minimum wage has been higher than the federal minimum wage since 2013.

Additionally, Proposition A would require local businesses to provide paid sick leave. All employers – including those currently offering paid leave – would face new mandates regarding their team members’ use of paid sick leave and the enforcement of leave policies.

Associated Industries of Missouri, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Missouri Grocers Association, the Missouri Restaurant Association, the Missouri Retailers Association and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) urge Missourians to vote NO on this proposal November 5.

The stakes are high for Missouri’s 217,000 private sector employers:

• Businesses with tight profit margins are already struggling with the effects of inflation. Proposition A would further increase the cost of operating in our state for all businesses, even those that currently pay more than the minimum wage.
• Proposition A would restrict employers’ ability to set their own time off policies and tailor the requirements to the specific needs of their workforce.
• The sick leave portion of Proposition A would create new pathways for frivolous lawsuits against employers. The ballot measure language includes penalties for “retaliatory personnel action,” making it difficult for an employer to investigate sick leave misuse.
• Navigating the new law would be burdensome for Missouri businesses, as several components of the sick leave mandate are either unclear or directly conflict with federal mandates that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Missouri employers know their employees are their greatest asset and recognize the importance of offering competitive wages and benefits. However, as a business community, we oppose this new mandate. Business owners know best how to run their own companies, and additional mandates and government regulations do not promote job growth.

We encourage Missourians to vote NO on Proposition A to keep Missouri families working, businesses growing and consumer prices from skyrocketing.