Where legislatures have refused to boost pay and benefits for workers, advocates have often taken the fight straight to voters. In recent years voters in Michigan, Missouri and Nebraska overwhelmingly backed higher state minimum wages and guaranteed paid sick leave at the polls. But despite that strong showing of support, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are now trying to water down or even roll back the measures their constituents approved.
In November, 58% of Missouri voters approved Proposition A, which raises the state minimum wage to $15 by 2026 and requires employers to provide paid sick leave. That level of support, said Missouri Jobs with Justice Policy Director Richard Von Glahn, stems from the fact that the measure “speaks to the experiences that voters have in their lives and where the economy is not working for them.” Typically, when his organization was out gathering signatures, voters expressed surprise that the minimum wage was not already $15 an hour and that paid sick leave was not already a guarantee. The vote shows it was “the clear will of what voters want,” Von Glahn said.
