By Matthew Loh and Juliana Kaplan
Business Insider, November 6, 2024

While economic issues were a major focus of this year's US presidential election, several states put pay directly on the ballot ...  In Missouri, voters opted to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. ...

A group of Missouri business owners in favor of the measure praised Proposition A's passage on Tuesday evening.

"Proposition A will strengthen Missouri's workforce and businesses," David Burmeister, the owner of Midwest Pasta Co. in St. Louis, said in a press release. "Raising the...

By Kyla Asbury
St. Louis Record, November 6, 2024

JEFFERSON CITY — With all precincts reported, Republicans have won the majority of federal, state and local offices. ... Missouri voters also voted to pass Proposition A, which will raise the minimum wage and enable workers to earn paid sick days. Businesses say this will boost consumer spending and strengthen Missouri’s workforce and businesses. Proposition A will raise the state minimum wage to $15 by 2026.

More than 500 businesses joined the Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy coalition, supporting Proposition A. 

"It is important to...

By Jonathan Shorman
Kansas City Star, November 6, 2024. Also Yahoo News.

Missouri voters on Tuesday approved raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 and guaranteeing paid sick leave to workers, passing a ballot measure supporters said will help lower-income families and individuals. ...

A coalition in favor of Proposition A, Missouri Business for a Health Economy, said it would boost consumer spending, reduce employee turnover and increase worker productivity. “Employees are our greatest assets, and we are happy to invest in our staff with good wages and paid time off,” Jason Provo, owner of...

By Brayden Day
KOMU-TV 8, Columbia, November 6, 2024. Also KBIA-FM (Columbia NPR).

The Missouri minimum wage will increase to $15 an hour by 2026 after Proposition A passed by a significant margin in the general election. The proposition will also require employers to provide workers with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

Columbia business owners who spoke to KOMU 8 on Wednesday were generally happy about the proposition passing and say it will have a positive impact on workers.

"Any time I see minimum wage increases happening, I always feel...

By Alex DeMarban
Anchorage Daily News, November 6, 2024. Also Yahoo News.

A ballot measure to increase Alaska’s minimum wage and provide guaranteed sick leave to most workers was winning by a large margin as results streamed in late Tuesday. ...

The measure is backed by a coalition of Alaska labor leaders, chaired by Ed Flanagan, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor under Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles. A coalition of more than 100 small businesses in the state also backed it.

Proponents argued it would improve living and working conditions for many Alaskans...

By Matt Acuña Buxton
Alaska Current, November 6, 2024

Alaska voters have approved an initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 and guarantee sick leave for most employees. ... The measure had broad support from labor groups and a small business coalition of more than 130 businesses heading into election day. Supporters argued that a higher minimum wage is better for workers and, in turn, better for businesses because there’s more money circulating in the community.

“I hear from business owners all the time who know that for their business to succeed, they need...

By Yereth Rosen
Alaska Beacon, November 6, 2024. Also Yahoo News, Kodiak Daily Mirror, Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Alaska voters favored a ballot measure backed by labor unions by a margin of 12.46 percentage points with roughly 70% of the ballots counted early Wednesday. ...

Backers, who include labor unions and some business owners, argue that the measure is needed to provide what they characterize as an overdue boost to workers’ wages. They point out that Alaska’s current minimum wage — which is the product of a ballot initiative passed 10 years ago — is the lowest...

By Clara Bates
Missouri Independent, November 5, 2024.  Also Yahoo News, St. Louis Business Journal, KMOX-FM St. Louis, The Pitch KC, Sedalia Democrat, Maryville Forum, Lincoln News Now (Troy, MO)

An effort to hike the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and guarantee paid sick leave won the support of Missouri voters Tuesday night. Proposition A was approved by Missouri voters 58% to 42%. ...

Proposition A was backed by various unions and workers’ advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights organizations, over 500 state business owners and others. ...

At the same time...

By Cameron Montemayor
St. Joseph News Press, Nov 4, 2024. Also Yahoo News.

Among the historic races and ballot measures in the November general election, voters in Missouri will also see a proposal seeking to raise the state’s minimum wage by nearly $3. ...

Given the challenges many businesses still face with hiring and retaining employees since the COVID-19 pandemic, Andi Montee, owner of Mokaska Coffee, has long supported a minimum wage increase for that and a myriad of reasons, including putting more money in employees’ pockets to recirculate in the local economy.

“Making sure...

By Iris Samuels
Anchorage Daily News, November 3, 2024. Also Yahoo News, Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Wichita Eagle, Sacramento Bee, Raleigh News and Observer, many more

A ballot measure before Alaska voters seeks to increase the state’s minimum wage, provide guaranteed sick leave to most workers and ban employers from engaging in some activities that can dissuade unionizing ...

The measure is backed by a broad coalition of Alaska labor leaders, chaired by Ed Flanagan, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor under Gov. Tony Knowles. It is also...

Op-Ed By Kumiko Helming
Anchorage Daily News, November 2, 2024

Imagine waking up tomorrow morning sick and knowing that staying home means losing a day’s pay — or worse, risking your job. For many local workers, it is an all-too-common dilemma. Ballot Measure 1 aims to address this by promoting an occupational environment that benefits everyone, from business owners to Alaska families. Paid sick leave isn’t just about staying home when you’re sick; it’s about protecting our health, our workplaces, and our community.

Let’s take a look at the statistics: According to the Centers for...

By Sylvester Brown Jr.
St. Louis American, October 31, 2024

“I built my businesses on a belief in the American Dream, and that includes paying people fairly so they can make a living.” Joe Edwards, the owner of Blueberry Hill restaurant and music club, the Moonrise Hotel, The Pageant and other University City businesses is one of the 500 businesses in the Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy coalition urging voters to vote “yes” on Proposition A. ...

The business coalition says raising the minimum wage and enabling workers to earn paid sick time will...

By Chrystal Blair
Public News Service, October 31, 2024. Also MSN, KRCU (Cape Girardeau, MO), KXCV-FM (Maryville, MO), KMA-FM (Shenendoah, IA), more.

More than 500 Missouri businesses are rallying for Proposition A, pushing for a $15 per hour minimum wage and paid sick leave by 2026.

Backed by the group Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy, Proposition A plans to raise the minimum wage to $13.75 an hour next year and $15 by 2026, with additional annual cost-of-living adjustments. Tipped workers must earn at least half the minimum rate, plus tips.

Andi Montee...

By Brian Hauswirth
Eagle 93.9, Columbia, October 29, 2024

Some mid-Missouri restaurant leaders have differing views about a November ballot measure to increase the state’s minimum wage to $13.75 an hour in January and raise it to $15 an hour in 2026. ...

While the Missouri Restaurant Association (MRA) opposes Proposition A, the owner of Columbia’s Pasta La Fata supports the measure. The MRA says the measure will make eating out and buying groceries more expensive. But Pasta La Fata owner Michelle La Fata sees it differently, predicting it will help working people and businesses...

By Hannah Falcon
KMOV-TV (First Alert 4) Jefferson City, Oct 28, 2024. Also KY3-TV (Springfield), KFVS-TV (Cape Girardeau), KCTV 5 (Kansas City), WGEM-TV (Quincy, IL), KAIT-TV (Jonesboro, AR).

There is only one week left for Missourians to vote on whether or not to increase the minimum wage and require paid sick leave.

If you walk into Pasta La Fata in Columbia, you’d hear Italian music over the speakers, smell the sauce cooking, and see a young worker making fresh noodles. This brick-and-mortar restaurant is the dream come true of owner Michelle La Fata. Her team...