FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 11, 2025
Contact: Hannah Edwards
[email protected]
Kansas City, MO — On Thursday, April 10, Missouri Jobs with Justice hosted statewide ‘Protect Our Paid Sick (POPS)’ rallies with Missouri Workers Center, businesses and workers to celebrate the paid sick leave provision of Proposition A going into effect May 1st. Last November, Proposition A was passed by over 1.6 million Missourians increasing the state’s minimum wage and securing earned paid sick time for workers. Employers must provide their employees with written notice of their earned paid sick leave rights by Tuesday, April 15th, 2025.
A photo and video are available here from the rally at Yellow Dog Bookshop in Columbia.
A photo and video are available here from the rally at Oddly Correct in Kansas City.
A photo and video are available here from the rally at Southwest Diner in St. Louis.
A photo and video are available here from the rally at Van Gogh’s Eeterie in Springfield.
Several bills have been introduced in the Missouri legislature to undo Proposition A’s paid sick leave provision, including House Bill 567 which is being driven by special interest groups directly against working families. If passed, the bill would force hundreds of thousands of Missourians to once again either come to work while sick or miss necessary income to pay their bills. In response to continuous attacks on Proposition A and the will of the people, workers and business owners united in support of Proposition A:
“I have a brittle bone condition. This meant that during my childhood I was in and out of the hospital, and in and out of surgery constantly. This took a huge toll on me and my family because it’s really hard when you are a middle school teacher to take care of a child who is in and out of the hospital all the time. My mom had to give up her dream of being a teacher to take care of me. She was in and out of minimum wage jobs trying to find places that could give her enough sick time, enough flexible hours to take care of me… You shouldn’t have to choose between your job and your child,” said 2024 Senator Chuck Graham Memorial Disability and Advocacy Ambassador awardee Samantha Binning at the Columbia rally.
“The corporate executives of companies like Wendy’s, where I work, have never had to worry about taking time off when they’re sick or need to care for their family. But I have many times, along with hundreds of thousands of workers in Missouri — all while our labor produces their billions in profit. It’s why we fought hard to win Prop A, and it’s going to take all of us to defend our freedom to be there for our loved ones, from Kansas City to Jefferson City,” said Fran Marion at the KC rally, a Stand Up KC and Missouri Workers Center leader who has worked in the fast food industry for over 20 years.
“I was a person that suffered from not having Proposition A. I worked for one of the largest corporations in the world, Mcdonalds, for over 10 years and never received a raise, any sick pay — and when I took off for sick time I was penalized,” said Ms. Bettie Douglas, who has been a leader with Show-Me $15 since 2013 at the St. Louis rally.
“In 2019, we decided to commit to paying every employee a living wage and offering paid sick leave. It was a gamble, but it worked. When you pay people a wage that allows them to live without worrying where their next meal is coming from, if they’re going to pay rent, if they’re going to get to work or not, you have people who want to be there… We saw a twenty percent increase in revenue after enacting paid sick leave,” said Oddly Correct owner Mike Schroeder at the KC rally.
Missouri Jobs with Justice and Missouri Workers Center have launched a website http://moworkersrights.org to help both workers and employers understand the new paid sick law.
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More About Missouri Jobs with Justice:
Missouri Jobs with Justice is a coalition of community, labor, faith-based, and student groups and individuals working to build power through direct action and strong relationships rooted in justice, equity, and solidarity. An organization of, by and for working people, we hope to build a Missouri where all people can lead safe and healthy lives. In addition to our local and state partners, we are proud to be affiliated with national Jobs with Justice as well as People’s Action. Companion 501(c)(4) organization Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action builds Missouri’s worker justice movement through workplace campaigns, ballot initiatives, and other community fights.