by Clara Bates, Missouri Independent
May 15, 2025

When Missouri voters approved a ballot measure last November to provide paid sick leave to hundreds of thousands of workers, Andi Phillips felt hopeful.

Gone would be the “complicated math game,” that she says she knew well — weighing whether missing a shift’s pay meant she would still be able to afford things like a gallon of milk, the electricity bill, or laundry. 

“I imagined a near future where I could work hard and make a living and be present for my family and my kids when they need me,” Phillips, a server in Springfield, said at a rally Thursday in front of the Missouri Capitol. 

But now, she said, “because of politicians’ decision to undo the will of the people — the votes that we gathered — I will no longer have the ability to earn paid sick time and the relief of knowing that I have the choice between a paycheck and my family’s health.”

Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Capitol Thursday afternoon to protest the passage of two bills the day prior by GOP lawmakers seeking to overturn initiatives approved by voters in November. One bill gutted Missouri’s paid sick leave law and the other will put an abortion ban back on the ballot. 

“What happened yesterday is a travesty of what’s supposed to be democracy,” said Daniel Chura, organizer with Missouri Jobs with Justice, which helped lead the campaign for the paid sick leave law. 

“When we look behind at this building, we know it’s not democracy that’s going on,” he added. “But when we see what’s gathered on these steps today, this is what democracy looks like.” 

Attendees led chants of “this is what democracy looks like,” along with “we are the worker, the mighty, mighty worker.” They said it’s not the end of the fight for paid leave, and vowed to reject the abortion ban.

They held American flags and signs ranging from “Workers over billionaires” and “No forced pregnancies,” to “Missouri GOP: Gonna Override the People.” 

Wednesday evening, Missouri Senate Republicans invoked a rarely-used rule to shut down a Democratic filibuster and repeal the paid sick leave law and put an abortion ban on the ballot with language that does not mention banning abortion. 

The abortion amendment will appear on the November 2026 ballot, unless Gov. Mike Kehoe decides to hold a vote sooner. 

Missouri Republicans shut down Senate debate to pass abortion ban, repeal sick leave law

The paid sick leave benefits, which went into effect on May 1, will be stripped away on Aug. 28 if Kehoe signs the bill passed Wednesday.  

That bill also removes the requirement that the minimum wage be indexed to inflation, which has been in place since 2007. The paid sick leave and minimum wage provisions passed with nearly 58% of the vote in November as Proposition A, garnering support from unions, workers’ advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights groups, as well as over 500 business owners. 

The measure made sick leave guaranteed for around 728,000 workers who lacked it statewide, or over 1 in 3 Missouri workers, according to an analysis from the progressive nonprofit the Missouri Budget Project. 

In November, more than 1.6 million Missourians voted “yes” on the measure — more than the number who voted for U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley that election.

Don Looney, a leader of UAW Local 2250, referred to the “unmitigated gall” of lawmakers telling voters “you didn’t understand what you were voting for” by overturning paid sick leave.

“Your Missouri legislature has gone rogue,” Looney said. 

GOP critics portrayed paid sick leave as a “job killer” that would hurt small businesses, and as a “one-size-fits-all” mandate for businesses. 

House Speaker Jon Patterson said in a press conference Thursday he agreed with paid sick leave in principle but not as it was laid out in Prop A. 

“I want people that are sick to be able to stay home and not have to work,” Patterson said. “The way that it was done in Prop A it just was not workable. So I hope in the future what we see is something where employees are able to get their sick leave, but maybe not having mandates.”

Regarding the repeal of Prop A without input from the voters, Patterson said: “They do get to have their voice. They get to go out and vote for their elected representatives, and they come to Jefferson City and make decisions.”

Amendment 3, which rolled back Missouri’s abortion ban and opened the door for clinics to begin performing the procedure for the first time since 2022, passed with 52% of the vote, or over 1.5 million votes, in November. 

The proposed ban that will now appear on the ballot seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation. 

Abortion rights activists on Thursday led chants of “we’re not going back.” 

“Voters have spoken,” said Mary Ann Perkins with Abortion Action Missouri. “No forced pregnancy.” 

The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently struck down as unconstitutional by a Missouri judge. 

It seeks to ban gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors, something that is already illegal in Missouri. 

“No politician has the right to dictate what goes on in the doctor’s office or in our private lives,” said Nancy O’Brien with Abortion Action Missouri.

Terrence Wise, a low-wage worker with Stand up KC and Missouri Workers Center, said when he saw the news about the Senate vote Wednesday, he thought about all the days he went to work sick, or brought his children to work sick with 100 degree fevers because he lacked paid leave. 

He said the repeal could be “fatal,” with people coming into work instead of getting needed care. 

“Despite this clear mandate from the people, corporate interests refused to listen,” he said.

Wise said Missourians in Democratic and Republican districts “voted for economic dignity and for working people…a clear message that no one should have to choose between their health and affording rent.” 

Advocates said they’ll consider putting the issue on the ballot again as a constitutional amendment, a move that would make it much harder for lawmakers to repeal.

Ray Thomas, a union electrician and leader with Missouri Jobs with Justice, said in an interview with The Independent she was so “jubilant” when the ballot measure passed in November that she cried. It was a “relief” to, for the first time in her career, though she is nearing retirement, have time off when she or a family member is sick. 

Thomas collected 2,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot last year and said talking to voters, she realized the issue transcended partisan divides — that it was about basic human rights.

Initially the news of yesterday’s repeal vote was “depleting” but she said now, it’s just “round two.”

“The battle’s back on,” Thomas said.

“I don’t care if I’m out there in a wheelchair, I don’t care. I’m gonna go collect signatures again. I’m not gonna lay down until we get what we deserve.” 

Related Topics:Missouri IndependentMissouri News FeedNews From The South

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