Voters in two red states, Alaska and Missouri, approved ballot measures to raise the minimum wage and require employers to provide paid sick time to their workers.
In Alaska, the minimum wage will gradually rise to $15 per hour by July 1, 2027, up from $11.73 currently, the lowest on the West Coast. After that, the minimum wage will be adjusted to keep pace with inflation.
In Missouri, the minimum wage will gradually rise to $15 an hour by January 1, 2026, up from $12.30 currently. Starting in 2027, an annual inflation adjustment will also be applied.
According to MIT's Living Wage Calculator, $15 an hour still falls below what individuals would need to earn to support just themselves in most places in the country — including Missouri and Alaska — not to mention their families.
A California ballot measure which would have raised the minimum wage across that state from $16 to $18 an hour by 2025 remained too close to call Wednesday morning. With many ballots still to be counted, 52% of voters had rejected the plan.
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009. In the final weeks of his campaign, former President Donald Trump dodged a question on whether he'd seek to raise it.
In 2023, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 by 2028, but that effort went nowhere.
Missouri, Alaska and Nebraska say "yes" to paid sick leave
In both Missouri and Alaska, employers will now be required to give workers one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Missouri provides some exceptions for small businesses.
Nebraska voters also approved a ballot measure giving workers the right to earn paid sick leave. But Nebraska's measure does not specify the rate of accrual.
Fifteen other states and the District of Columbia have paid sick time laws, according to the Center for American Progress. While the vast majority of private employers offer their employees paid leave, an estimated 22% of American workers do not have paid sick time.
Notably, Alaska's ballot measure also includes a ban on so-called captive audience meetings, or meetings in which employees are required to listen to their employer's religious or political views, including their opinions on labor unions. Labor advocates say such meetings hurt workers' ability to form unions.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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