Missouri minimum wage

Missouri’s new minimum wage and paid sick leave law (“Proposition A”) currently is subject to two legal challenges; (1) a lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the law, and (2) a house bill that, if passed by the Senate and governor, would alter the minimum wage component of the law and eliminate paid sick leave components of the law. The paid sick leave component of the law otherwise remains scheduled to go into effect on May 1, 2025, with relevant April 15, 2025, notice and posting compliance deadlines for employers. The fate of the paid sick leave component of Proposition A—and the law as a whole—remains uncertain. In the meantime, employers should plan as though the law will go into effect as scheduled.

Stay updated with our latest blog from March 31, 2025: Pending Legal Challenges to Missouri’s New Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Law

Proposition A — Amendments to the Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations*

*Access a copy of the Proposition A full bill text here.
*Access a searchable PDF, that includes the language of Proposition A, here.

On November 5, 2024, Missouri voters approved an amendment to RSMo § 290.502, increasing the state minimum wage in 2025 and 2026. In addition, voters approved earned paid leave that employees can use for their own or their “family member’s” illness(es), preventative care, and/or to address victims’ needs resulting from domestic violence, stalking, and/or sexual assault (collectively referred to as “Paid Leave” below). Since its passage, after reading overviews of the Amendment, many of our clients still had questions about how best to implement the requirements considering their workforce and current leave policies. Most wondered if their current PTO policy would suffice as written. Below, members of Husch Blackwell’s Labor & Employment team have answered these questions.