While some business owners support Missouri efforts to raise minimum wage, others worry about negative effects

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KFVS) – 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 will 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 for owner Michelle La Fata. Her team of employees is important to La Fata, which is why she supports the Missouri proposition to raise the minimum wage and require paid sick leave.

“I think that it will make people feel very valued and that people who are working in minimum wage positions probably don’t feel valued,” La Fata said.

Sample Ballots: Check your ballot for the November 2024 election

This election, Missourians are voting on Proposition A.

A “yes” vote on this question means you’re agreeing to several things: increasing the minimum wage from $13 to $15 over the course of two years, allowing that increase to continue in 2027 and beyond based on the Consumer Price Index, requiring all employers to offer one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, and give the Department of Labor oversight for enforcing these new laws. There are exemptions built in for government employers and those working in public or private education.

Missouri currently has the 16th highest minimum wage in the country. If Prop A passes, Missouri could move up to the 9th highest minimum wage, on par with states like New York and Colorado.

November Election: Missouri Voter Guide

Buddy Law with the Missouri Restaurant Association stands against Prop A. He said this would lower profits for the state’s 217,000 private employers, and lead to layoffs or even places going out of business.

“The end result when you vote for Proposition A will be that you’re literally saying we would like to raise all of our prices on all goods and services in the state of Missouri,” Lahl said.

Lahl is also concerned that some people would abuse the sick leave policy — leading to added stress.

“The cost that it’s going to put on the employer, the Small Business employer, the under 15 employers, is going to be dramatic,” Lahl said.

La Fata said she likes the sick leave policy in Prop A so much that she plans to implement it whether it passes or not.

“I understand that there’s a lot of business owners, small business owners, probably restaurant owners, who have this idea in their mind that paying people more will ruin their business, or that they won’t be able to make ends meet,” La Fata said. “But in my experience, when I pay people more and they feel valued, they have a lower turnover rate.”

Associated Industries of Missouri is considering possible legal action if this proposition passes. The president said it violates the single-subject rule by addressing both minimum wage and sick leave.

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