The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Proposition A’s ballot language was not misleading or inaccurate and upheld the election results.
Proposition A increased the state minimum wage to $15 an hour and mandated that employees accumulate paid sick leave based on hours worked. The sick leave portion of the law goes into effect Thursday. Proposition A was approved by voters in November with 57.6% of the vote.
Business associations, including the Missouri Restaurant Association and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, sued last year to overturn the results, arguing that the summary and fiscal impact statement on the ballot were unfair and misleading to voters.
The challengers also argued that in addressing both minimum wage and paid sick leave, the proposition violated a rule that says every ballot item can only pertain to one subject.
Six of the seven Supreme Court judges joined a decision ruling the election results are valid. The seventh said she did not believe the Supreme Court should have jurisdiction over postelection ballot challenges but would otherwise concur with the majority.
The River City Journalism Fund supports St. Louis Public Radio's Statehouse internship. Evy Lewis is the 2025 reporting intern. See rcjf.org for more information about the fund, which seeks to advance journalism in St. Louis.
