Op-Ed By Erik Milan
Springfield News-Leader, October 27, 2024. Also in the Joplin Globe.
As a local business owner, I’m invested in my business and our community. I’m invested in my employees and our customers.
I support Proposition A because it will help us thrive together. It would help people make a living by raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2026. It would ensure that working people can earn some paid sick time and aren’t penalized for being sick.
If we didn’t have happy employees at our music store, we wouldn’t have happy customers. Stick It In Your Ear wouldn’t be a thriving business. We have a great customer base throughout the year. And we had record attendance for Record Store Day in April, with people lined up around the block when we opened in the morning.
We have incredibly loyal, knowledgeable employees who are welcoming to everybody. They deliver the kind of personalized service that draws people to our store.
Good customer service is the key to building a small business to last.
Good customer service is crucial in competing with the big online retailers.
It makes no sense to nickel and dime your employees, and then lose a lot more than nickels and dimes from the customers you are alienating with unreliable service.
It makes no sense to nickel and dime your employees and then lose a lot more than nickels and dimes when they quit, and you need to keep spending time and money on hiring and training new employees to replace them.
A lot of retail stores, restaurants and other businesses have high employee turnover, and that costs real money. Low employee turnover is good for the bottom line.
Caring for your staff and your customers also means giving employees paid time off when they are sick. Why would I want my employees worrying about missing rent or a car payment because they are sick or their child is sick?
Why would I want employees coming to work sick, taking longer to recover, and risk spreading illnesses to the rest of our staff and our customers?
Most Missourians know it’s very reasonable to let employees earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours they work. Proposition A allows businesses with fewer than 15 employees to limit paid sick time to 40 hours – five days – if they want to, while businesses with 15 or more employees can cap it at 56 hours per year.
Proposition A has widespread business support. I’ve joined with more than 500 businesses across our state in the Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy Coalition supporting Proposition A.
We know that when workers in our community make more money, they can spend more at local businesses. And businesses depend on consumer spending to survive, grow and hire.
We know that with better wages and paid sick time, businesses benefit from lower employee turnover, increased productivity, better health and morale, and happier customers.
I’m looking forward to Proposition A passing for the good of Missouri workers, businesses and communities.
Erik Milan owns Stick It In Your Ear music store in Springfield and is a member of Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy.
Copyright 2024 Erik Milan