By Alex DeMarban
Anchorage Daily News, June 30, 2025

The minimum wage in Alaska will rise to $13 and the state’s first sick leave requirement will be enacted Tuesday when Ballot Measure 1 goes into effect. ...

A large coalition of businesses said they welcome the new requirements.

Mark Robokoff, owner of AK Bark pet supply store in Anchorage, is part of that coalition of more than 130 Alaska operators and the Alaska Black Chamber of Commerce, which backed the measure.

The state’s economy will benefit overall as more workers have more money to spend...

By Deb Belt
Patch Maryland, June 30, 2025

Beginning July 1 ... Hourly workers in Montgomery County will see the minimum wage increase by 50 cents an hour to $17.65 for large employers with 51 or more employees and $16 for those with 11 to 50 employees. For smaller employers with 10 or fewer employees, it increases from $15 (the state minimum wage floor) to $15.50. ...

“We know from experience that minimum wage increases on July 1 will be good for local workers, businesses and communities," said Gina Schaefer, founder of A Few Cool...

By Kevin Hardy
Stateline, June 26, 2025. Also Yahoo News, Alaska Beacon, Nebraska Examiner, West Virginia News, Norfolk Daily News (NE), KQKX-FM (Norfolk, NE), more

The minimum wage will increase in 15 states and cities in July, though lawmakers in other states have worked to slow down wage hikes.

Wage floor increases beginning July 1 in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C., will benefit more than 880,000 workers ... according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute ... Another dozen cities will see minimum wage increases this summer, including Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco...

By Jonson Kuhn
Alaska's News Source, KTUU-TV/KYES-TV, June 25, 2025

With Alaska employees who currently earn an $11.91 minimum wage set to see an increase to $13 per hour on July 1, along with receiving required paid sick leave, business leaders statewide are divided on if the long-term impact will mean cost increases or increased consumer spending and better working conditions.

The increase is a result of voters approving Ballot Measure 1 in November with a 58% vote. ... Since Mark Robokoff, owner of Anchorage’s AK Bark pet supply store, became one of 130 Alaska...

By Gabrielle Gurley
American Prospect, May 22, 2025

Last November, Missouri voters passed a mandatory paid sick leave ballot initiative and joined 17 other states and the District of Columbia with similar statutes on the books. Eligible private-sector employees, about 730,000 people, began accruing one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The initiative also increased the minimum wage from $12.30 to $13.75 for all private businesses, and also authorized a $1.25 increase in 2026 that would bring the wage up to $15, with an annual Consumer Price Index adjustment taking effect beginning...

By Allison Bealmer
Columbia Missourian, May 15, 2025. Also Eastern Progress (KY)

A bill to repeal the paid sick leave provision of Proposition A is headed to Gov. Mike Kehoe for approval, creating a clash of opinions from employers and employees. ...

Joe Chevalier, owner of Yellow Dog Bookshop, previously hosted a rally in support of Prop A. He said he views the law as beneficial for both employers and employees.

“They’re happier in their job. They’re less likely to be looking for other work all the time,” Chevalier said. “And if you’ve got more...

By Jacob Richey, John Murphy and Blake Wallis
KOMU TV 8 News, May 15, 2025

Hundreds of people from across Missouri rallied on the steps of the Capitol Thursday against two measures that aim to overturn initiatives voters passed in the November 2024 general election. ... Senate Republicans used a rare and controversial legislative tactic to block a Democrat filibuster and pass the two pieces of legislation. HJR 73 will put a constitutional amendment to ban most abortions up for a vote on the November 2026 ballot. HB 567 now heads to Gov. Mike Kehoe...

By Samantha Walker
KOAM TV, Joplin, MO, May 5, 2025

Just days after Missouri's voter-approved paid sick leave mandate went into effect, state lawmakers are advancing legislation that would substantially change the law that voters passed in November. ...

Supporters of Proposition A express frustration with these legislative efforts to modify what voters approved.

"I would like to see it just go into place and be a sign of progress. That at least something in the Missouri democratic system still works," said Mike Draper, a member of Missouri Business for a Fair Minimum Wage...

Op-Ed By Michael Schroeder
Kansas City Star, May 3, 2025. Also Yahoo News

The implementation of Proposition A’s paid sick leave on May 1 marked an important step forward for Missouri businesses and workers. Businesses should see paid sick leave not as a burden, but as an investment in the well-being of our workforce and the vitality of our businesses and economy. That has been my experience as owner of Oddly Correct Coffee in Kansas City.

We employ 20 people. We know from experience that a business model with fair pay and paid sick leave...

By Mike Cullinan
Springfield Business Journal, May 2, 2025

Mandatory paid sick leave took effect May 1 at Missouri businesses after the state Supreme Court ruled that election results are valid for Proposition A. ...

Laurie Knowlton, who owns Rountree neighborhood business Pickwick Underground Framing LLC, said via email she was “thrilled” with the Supreme Court decision. She is among roughly 500 businesses statewide that supported Proposition A as part of Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy, a coalition of business leaders and executives.

“I was an early supporter of Proposition A because I value...

By Mitchell Kaminski
KMIZ-TV (ABC 17), Columbia, April 29, 2025

Supporters of a voter-passed proposition rejoiced after a court's decision on Tuesday. The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Proposition A, which raised the state’s minimum wage and requires employers to offer paid sick leave, rejecting arguments from business groups that the ballot measure was misleading and unconstitutional. ...

Supporters say the measure is a victory for working Missourians and small businesses alike. ...

Mike Draper, owner of RAYGUN, a Kansas City-based apparel company, welcomed the court’s decision in a statement. 

“The Missouri Supreme...

By Clara Bates, Missouri Independent and Tierney Kugel, Columbia Missourian
Columbia Missourian, April 29, 2025. Also Webster County Citizen

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Proposition A, the voter-approved law expanding paid sick leave set to go into effect Thursday. ...

Proposition A passed with nearly 58% of the vote and had the support of numerous unions, workers’ advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights organizations, as well as over 500 business owners. ...

One proponent of Proposition A is Joseph Chevalier, owner of Yellow Dog Bookshop in Columbia. Yellow Dog Bookshop was one...

By David A. Lieb
AP (Associated Press), April 29, 2025. Also Fortune, US News and World Report, Southeast Missourian, Missouri Lawyers Weekly, KTVI Fox 2 TV (St. Louis), KOAM TV (Joplin), Missouri Reserve, Sioux City Journal, Atlanta Journal Constitution, many more

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a voter-approved ballot measure gradually raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to workers. The court rejected claims from business groups that the initiative’s ballot summary and cost estimate were misleading and thus amounted to an election...

By Kacen Bayless
Kansas City Star, April 29, 2025

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the election results of a November vote that raised the state’s minimum wage and guaranteed paid sick leave to workers, even as state lawmakers push to weaken the voter-approved law. ...

A group of small business owners who have campaigned and argued in favor of Proposition A celebrated the decision in a series of statements on Tuesday. “We’re looking forward to full implementation of the minimum wage increases and paid sick time,” said Michael Schroeder, who owns Oddly Correct...

By Jack Suntrup
St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 29, 2025. Also The Examiner (Independence - Blue Springs - Grain Valley, MO)

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a voter-approved law to raise the minimum wage and require paid sick leave, allowing new sick time rules to take effect Thursday. ...

Business owners who supported Proposition A, meanwhile, cheered the court’s Tuesday opinion.

“If a small bookstore like ours can provide paid sick time to employees, so can other businesses. No one should have to work sick in order to keep a roof overhead and...