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Victories

Since 1999, Missouri Jobs with Justice has been fighting and winning real change for Missouri’s working families.

2022
Winning Paid Family Leave for St. Louis City and County Workers - The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides for time away from work, but for millions of workers, that time is unpaid. Without paid family leave—most working families cannot afford to miss a paycheck—even if that means not being there for our families. No one should have to choose between going into debt or taking time to care for our family. Missouri Jobs with Justice mobilized our base to provide testimony, worker stories, and constituent contacts to support paid family leave for St. Louis City and County workers. After hearing from families about the challenges of balancing familial and professional obligations, St. Louis City and County leadership passed paid family leave policies for public sector workers. We are building on these wins to help start a statewide coalition in support of a more family-supporting economy.
2022
Supporting KIPP School Teachers’ Fight to Unionize - A core value of the Missouri Jobs with Justice “Be There Pledge” is “supporting the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively.” We were thrilled to support the educators and faculty at Kipp St. Louis High School. Like most teachers and workers, Kipp High School staff love their school, their students and want a voice on the job. Despite aggressive union-busting tactics—complete with labor-busting consultants—an overwhelming majority of Kipp faculty voted to unionize with American Federation of Teachers Local 420 for better wages, increased safety, and respect on the job. This organizing win makes Kipp High School the first charter school in Missouri to unionize. We are ready to show up and support these workers against the union-busting tactics throughout their contract campaign and beyond.
2022
Winning Truly Affordable Housing in KC - Kansas City is in the middle of a housing crisis. Corporate landlords demand taxpayer funding to build unaffordable housing projects that displace our neighbors and pad their profits. Question 2 asked Kansas City voters to approve a no-tax-increase $50 million bond to help ensure we all have safe, quality, affordable homes. Our long-time partners, KC Tenants, laid the groundwork to ensure all $50 million of the bond would go only toward housing at or below 30% AMI or between $550-$750 in rent—in other words, truly affordable. After weeks of rigorous work, knocking tens of thousands of doors, Question 2 passed with over 70% of the vote! This was a big victory for working-class people across Kansas City. Together, we can invest in our communities and ensure we all have safe, quality, affordable homes.
2022
Preserving Our Wins and More in Jefferson City - Heading into the Missouri legislative session in 2022, extremist politicians were focused on pursuing an anti-worker agenda that would leave all but the wealthiest behind. Despite a difficult session, we emerged mostly victorious thanks to a long-term organizing vision that allowed us to mobilize the necessary support when needed.

  • Won a $15 minimum wage for all Missouri state workers
  • Stopped cuts to unemployment insurance
  • Protected our right to protest
  • Secured funding to a newly expanded Medicaid program
  • Protected funding for public education from privatizers
  • Prevented unnecessary restrictions to the ballot initiative process
  • Limited the gerrymandering of our Congressional or state legislative districts
2022
Supporting Missouri’s First Unionized Library - One of the most exciting developments in Columbia in 2022 was definitely the establishment of Daniel Boone Regional Library Workers United, which made Daniel Boone Regional Library the first unionized regional library in the state. Missouri Jobs with Justice was constant in its support of the library workers by mobilizing the community to attend and speak at library board meetings, giving DBRLWU a chance to directly ask city council candidates for their support at our town hall, and facilitating an in-district meeting with Mayor Buffaloe. We are very proud of the support we gave DBRLWU during their remarkable campaign.
2022
Delivering Direct Cash Assistance to St. Louis Residents - Missouri Jobs with Justice worked with St. Louis City leadership to pass a one-time direct cash assistance program that delivered more than $4.5 million dollars to more than 9,000 St. Louis residents negatively impacted by COVID. The funds were part of the American Rescue Plan package passed by Congress to deliver direct relief to Americans and mitigate economic disruption due to COVID. We worked with national partners to evaluate this innovative program and survey those who received this one-time payment. Recipients cited job loss, missing hours at work, or rising costs of childcare as causes of economic hardship, and the funds helped mitigate that disruption. Overwhelmingly, recipients said these funds came just in time and were used to make ends meet, including food, healthcare, catching up on bills, and other everyday essentials. We worked to center those most impacted by supporting recipients as they shared their story with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, the media, and the Board of Aldermen. We continue to fight for ARPA funds to go directly to the people who need them most.
2021
Winning a First Union Contract at MERS Goodwill - Over a year and a half after first winning their union election, workers at the MERS Goodwill store in Festus, 30 miles South of St. Louis, won their first union contract this May. The new pact secures pay increases and ensures respect on the job for these workers, members of UFCW Local 655. Goodwill pulled out all of the standard union-avoidance tricks, including an unsuccessful attempt to decertify Local 655. Still, the workers held together, building overwhelming community support and pressure from, among others Missouri Jobs with Justice and the broader St. Louis Labor Movement.
2021
Retaining the Earnings Tax in St. Louis and Kansas City - In 2010 billionaire anti-tax zealot Rex Siquefeld funded a statewide ballot initiative outlawing new local earnings taxes in Missouri, and forcing St. Louis and Kansas City voters to reapprove their decades-old municipal earnings taxes every five years. These earnings taxes are crucial for both cities, providing ⅓ of St. Louis and 45% of Kansas City’s general revenue funds. As in past years Missouri Jobs with Justice anchored campaigns to protect the earnings tax in both cities. We knocked on over 1600 doors, and made over 800 phone calls to voters in the lead up to the April election. Voters understand how important these funds are for their cities; Proposition E in St. Louis passed with over 79% support, while Question 1 in Kansas City received the support of over 77% of that city’s voters.
2021
Ensuring Good Jobs Now and for the Future in St. Louis - For nearly 60 years, St. Louis Community College has offered quality, affordable education for residents of St. Louis and surrounding communities, providing generations of St. Louisans access to higher education and job training. After six decades, however, much of the college’s physical infrastructure is in dire need of repair and renovation. Proposition R, which voters approved on August 3rd, addresses these needs, and will create thousands of family-supporting union construction jobs while ensuring that the next generation of STLCC students are prepared for the jobs of the future. Missouri Jobs with Justice contacted over 2,500 voters in the lead-up to Proposition R through direct mail and volunteer phone banks, helping to ensure the measure’s passage, with over 58% of the vote.
2021
Winning Fair Contracts and Wages for Workers across Missouri - A cornerstone of Missouri Jobs with Justice is standing in solidarity with workers and fighting for a Missouri where we all have what we need to provide for our families and thrive. This means we show up and pressure the bosses and corporate politicians who threaten good union jobs and benefits. In 2021, we showed up big time to support workers on the picket lines, including: workers at Truman State University in Kirksville, healthcare workers at Research and Menorah Medical Centers in Kansas City, workers at the University of Missouri, mechanics at Highway Trailer Sales in Kansas City, drivers at Scheppers Distributing in Columbia, Teamsters at Valvoline in St. Louis, and mechanics at Sunset Ford in St. Louis County.
2020
2020
Springfield regulates predatory lenders
Building off years of work with member organization Missouri Faith Voices, Springfield leaders successfully pushed the City Council to rein in predatory payday lenders who charge on average 462% interest

While councilmembers stalled for months under pressure from payday loan companies and the Chamber of Commerce, our grassroots power prevailed and put Question 1 on the ballot

In August, Springfield voters passed the ordinance which requires posting the true APR of these predatory loans and an annual $5,000 permit for payday loan stores. Since the industry is already price gouging, this permit fee represents pennies compared to the industry’s millions of dollars of profits that leave our local economy and to their out-of-state headquarters

2020
2020
2020
Stopped MU from cutting 300+ jobs

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Missouri-Columbia attempted to privatize, outsource, or cut more than 300 custodial and landscaping jobs for the sake of alleged budget concerns

MOJWJ and LiUNA 955 organized the Stop the Cuts Coalition to bring community members together to stand with these workers and point out the dangers of privatization - especially from our state’s flagship public university. We led an intense grassroots and direct action campaign to pressure the administration to abandon their privatization goals. After 73 days, the MU administration finally announced they would not outsource or cut custodial or landscaping positions
2020
2020
2020
Expanded Medicaid to more than 230,000 Missourians
Since as far back as 2005, Missouri has had some of the lowest eligibility rates for Medicaid in the nation. Our low rates have left hundreds of thousands of families without a lifeline in times of vulnerability, leading to unnecessary suffering and tragic early loss of life. Tired of waiting on politicians to do the right thing, MO JWJ leaders collected more than 40,000 signatures to put Amendment 2 to expand Medicaid on the ballot

On August 4th, Missouri became the 39th state to expand our medicaid program, a decade later than we should have and 15 years after it was cut. As a result, billions of dollars will flow back into Missouri’s economy, protecting Missouri rural hospitals and healthcare providers and most importantly, an estimated 230,000 Missourians will again have access to important health insurance

2020
2019
2019
Stopped Privatization of St. Louis Airport When Missouri’s largest political donor set his eyes on St. Louis’ most valuable public asset, we knew we were going to be in for a fight. Rex Sinquefeld bought an army of lobbyists and political consultants and invested over twenty million dollars into his scheme to make St. Louis’ Lambert airport the first major airport to be privatized in the United States

Knowing that privatization hurts our communities by stripping our resources, cutting wages, benefits, jobs, and despicable union-busting, MO JWJ mobilized volunteers to contest this at every turn. Through lobbying local officials, gathering signatures to force the issue to a public vote, and highlighting the damage this scheme would bring to St. Louis, we were able to overcome Sinquefeld’s money and make the issue politically untenable. Sinquefeld and his allies finally pulled the plug in July, nearly two years after it had begun. Another victory for working people!
2019
2018
Raised the Minimum Wage Statewide
Going into 2018, Missouri’s minimum wage stood at a paltry $7.85 per hour. That’s just $314 per week, and just over $16,000 per year—if you are lucky enough to work 40 hours a week. MO JWJ gathered more than 60,000 signatures to put Proposition B on the ballot and raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $12-an-hour by 2023. Missourians voted overwhelmingly on November 6th to hard reward work with better pay, passing Proposition B with 62.5% of the vote.
2018
Passed Amendment 1 to Clean Up Missouri Politics For years Missouri’s state legislature has been plagued with unresponsive politicians, horribly gerrymandered legislative districts and virtually unchecked corporate influence. To fix this Missouri Jobs with Justice led a broad coalition in qualifying and then passing the Clean Missouri initiative.

Our leaders gathered more than 80,000 signatures to put Amendment 1 on the ballot. Despite racist attacks, more than 62% of Missouri voters approved this sweeping reform of state legislative elections by lowering campaign finance limits, effectively eliminating lobbyist gifts, making the state legislature more transparent, closing the legislature to lobbyist revolving door, and stopping rigged, gerrymandered maps.
2018
Defeated “Right-to-Work” at the ballot
Politicians in Jefferson City have been determined to gut the power of working people and our right to come together in union. After passing a “right-to-work” law, our labor partners quickly organized a citizens’ veto and campaign to defeat what was placed on the ballot as Proposition A.

Through MO JWJ’s efforts educating our partners and the public about the dangers of “right-to-work” laws, particularly its anti-Semitic history and disproportionate impact on women and workers of color, nearly 200 organizations publicly opposed Prop A. When the dust settled on August 7th, we had defeated Prop A by a historic 2:1 margin, eclipsing even the legendary defeat of Right to Work here in 1978.
2015
City of St. Louis & Kansas City raise their minimum wage.
Led by MO JWJ, we worked with the St. Louis Board of Alderman to raise the St. Louis minimum to $11-an-hour by 2018, and with the Kansas City Council to raise the Kansas City minimum wage to $13-an-hour by 2020. Unfortunately, certain politicians in Jefferson City gutted this win and took money from primarily Black and brown workers in both cities.

The passage of a pre-emption law reversed this win and now prevents local governments from setting their own minimum wage and other priorities for their communities. Again - we then organized and set our sights on another statewide ballot initiative to raise the wage for all Missouri workers.
2013
Victory for Mine Workers. Peabody Coal created a corporate shell game to line their shareholders’ pockets by shedding health benefits it promised to thousands of coal miners who gave a lifetime of hard work. Without the United Mine Workers of America and our public solidarity efforts to hold Peabody accountable, thousands of current and retired miners would have been left to cope with black lung, cancer and crippling injuries on their own. Victory was secured through a provided more than $400 million to cover future health care benefits for retirees affected by the antics and greed of Peabody and its subsidiaries.
2012
Homecare workers ballot initiative right to organize. The state’s home care workers won the right to form a union after Missouri voters approved the Missouri Quality Home Care Act passed 2008 by a resounding 75 percent majority.
2011
Earnings Tax Campaign in St. Louis and Kansas City. After Billionaire Rex Sinquefeld passed an initiative to force St. Louis and Kansas City to renew their earnings taxes, JWJ organized residents to understand the threats posed and each cities voters overwhelmingly renewed the taxes, protecting hundreds of union jobs and critical public services.
2010
The Affordable Care Act becomes law. MO JWJ worked for years to educate voters, contact our elected leaders, and share our stories about why everyone deserves to be able to see a doctor and care for their families without going bankrupt. Our work was key in shoring up the Congressional votes needed to put this monumental act into law and literally save lives.
2008
Stopped out-of-state efforts to eliminate Affirmative Action. Stopped the so-called “Missouri Civil Rights Initiative” that would have harmed Black and brown Missourians and our efforts to dismantle white supremacy by banning affirmative action in Missouri. This initiative was pushed by a multi-millionaire lobbyist for the construction industry, who also financed successful anti-affirmative-action initiatives in California, Washington, and Michigan. Through aggressive grassroots voter engagement, MO JWJ and our allies talked to thousands of voters and kept this deceptive initiative off the ballot.
2006
Raised Missouri’s Minimum Wage. We led efforts to engage voters across the state with our partners to give Missourians a much-need raise. More than 75% of Missouri voted yes to raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $6.50-an-hour with annual raises to keep up with inflation.
2004
Stopped Medicaid Cuts. Politicians in Jefferson City worked to strip 65,000 Missourians of their Medicaid coverage under the guise of budget cuts. Without the work of MO JWJ and our allies, low-income workers, Missourians with disabilities, and children would have been without the health care they need to get and stay healthy.

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