Some Missourians WIll Earn More & Get Sick Time Next Year!

Last month, Missouri voters passed the "Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Time Initiative," with 58% approving the measure. The initiative will raise the minimum wage in Missouri to $13.75 on January 1, 2025, while also requiring employers to offer sick time to their employees.

Currently, the minimum wage in Missouri is $12.30 an hour. It will increase to $13.75 an hour on January 1, 2025, and to $15.00 an hour on January 1, 2026.

The initiative also requires employers to allow employees paid sick time (PST). According to The National Law Review, "Employers with fifteen or more employees will be able to limit use of PST to fifty-six (56) hours, or seven days based on an eight-hour workday, per year, and employers with fewer than fifteen employees may limit use to forty (40) hours, or five days, per year."

Under this law, employees may use paid sick time for care, which means care or treatment of a physical or mental illness, injury, or other health condition or preventative care for themselves or a family member.

Additionally, employees may use paid sick time in the case of a public health emergency where employees' places of business or schools for employees' children are closed or to take time to care for themselves or a family member due to an infectious disease.

Finally, the law contains provisions for an employee to use paid sick time in certain situations where the employee or an employee's family member has been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Things probably won't change much for those with jobs with good benefits like paid time off or the self-employed who can choose when to work and when to take time off. Yet, for many working lower-paying jobs, where paid sick time hasn't been given. Or, for folks toiling away for the state's current minimum wage, perhaps a little more money and paid sick leave will help.

Neither the raised state minimum wage nor paid sick time will drastically make someone's life easier. Yet, an extra few bucks in the paycheck and the ability to take a day or two off to shake a cold or deal with a sick kid might make it just a little easier for someone.