December 31, 2022
MISSOURI – More than 363,000 Missourians will directly get a raise beginning on January 1, 2023, when Missouri’s minimum wage increases from $11.15 to $12.00/hour. This 85-cent increase is the final increase as part of Proposition B. In 2018, Missourians put Proposition B on the ballot to raise the minimum wage – and it passed overwhelmingly. Thanks to Missouri voters, more than 314,000 additional Missourians are expected to get a raise indirectly from this final wage increase.
“As Missourians, we work hard for our families and our communities. We have shown that when we unite to improve our state’s economic policies, we all benefit,” said Caitlyn Adams, Executive Director of Missouri Jobs with Justice. “This much-needed wage increase is the result of workers organizing – not a generous gift or idea from a CEO. This increase will help families combat rising prices, but we know it is far from a living wage.”
Raising the minimum wage is good for working families. A recent analysis shows that childhood poverty is higher in states that choose to operate on the paltry $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage.
“Raising the minimum wage would be life-changing,” said Nicole Rush, a St. Louis restaurant worker. “It would help me tremendously. I wouldn’t have to rely on government assistance to take care of me and my kids. I would be able to get my own place, as well as have a dependable working car. I’d be able to give my kids the lifestyle they deserve.”
“Our leaders should heed the call from workers for higher wages, better benefits, and a say in the policies that impact our families and communities most,” continued Adams. “By investing in working families through higher wages, paid sick days, paid family leave, and other critical economic policies, we will make Missouri a place where we can truly provide for our families and get ahead.”
Further Background: In 2018, increasing Missouri’s minimum wage was estimated to impact 677,000 Missourians — or 1 in 4 workers — prior to our current economic recession. In November 2018, voters from every corner of our state resoundingly voted Yes on Proposition B to gradually increase Missouri’s minimum wage from $7.85 an hour to $12 an hour by 2023. With 62.34% of the vote and carrying 82 of Missouri’s 114 counties, 31 of 34 State Senate districts, and 145 of 163 State House districts, Proposition B and raising Missouri’s minimum wage was a clear signal and mandate from voters across our state.
