Fifteen activists gathered at Yellow Dog Bookshop on Thursday to protest a Missouri House bill that would overturn Prop A's sick leave provision.
Prop A was approved by voters as a ballot initiative in November with about 58% of the vote, mandating a gradual minimum-wage increase to $13.75 and eventually $15 by 2026, in addition to one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Now, House Bill 567 could repeal the sick leave mandate.
Missouri Jobs With Justice organized protests against the bill in four Missouri cities Thursday, including Columbia, bringing together workers and business owners across the state to discuss the proposition’s impact and implementation.
Yellow Dog Bookshop owner Joe Chevalier believes Missouri workers deserve paid sick leave and increased minimum wage.
"I think that a lot of people are, even in the wake of the pandemic, coming to work sick because they're afraid of losing money, losing hours, maybe losing their job if they try to call out sick," Chevalier said.
One attendee, Alejandro Gallardo, has worked in Columbia for over a decade and currently works at HuHot Mongolian Grill. He said he doesn't receive paid sick leave and makes $14.75 an hour.
Recently, Gallardo went to work while sick with a weeklong ear infection because he could not afford to stay home. He said he's seen a coworker get three teeth pulled and still go to work the next day, and another who came to work the day after giving birth.
“If I don’t work, it's that stress of, 'Do I risk not being able to go to work, or do I risk going to work sick, which damages my own health and risks getting other people sick?'” Gallardo said.
The Missouri Restaurant Association is among groups in retail and food industries that have come out against Prop A, citing "significant financial burdens" on businesses, according to previous St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting.
Jeff Basinger, co-owner of Cline, Braddock & Basinger, said paid sick leave can benefit workers by increasing productivity and reducing illness.
"I think you'll have happier, healthier workers," he said.
If HB 567 passes and Prop A is overturned, Basinger believes there would be negative impacts on employees.
"I think that you're going to see many workers in the state be paid less," Basinger said. "You may see workers show up to work sick and get other people sick."
Protestors Thursday encouraged community members to call representatives in opposition to the bill and advocate publicly in support of Prop A.
Audio story by Will Firra, KBIA. Article by Faith Boyd & Mercy Austin, Columbia Missourian.
