This Election Day, November 5th, 2024, voters in Missouri will take to the polls to decide if Missouri becomes the latest state to adopt an Earned Paid Sick Time, (PST), law. Missouri’s Proposition A bundles paid time off with a boost to the state’s minimum wage, to $15 hourly, by 2026. If passed, Missouri would become the 18th state to join the ever-growing list of states requiring employers to provide paid sick time for employees.
Missouri Proposition A
Proposition A calls or employers of fifteen or more workers to accrue one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, and there is no cap to hours accrued. However, employers of 15 or more may limit the amount of sick time used to 56 hours per year. Employers with fewer than fifteen workers may limit the amount used to 40 hours per year.
Missouri employers with existing Paid Time Off policies, (PTO), that meet or exceed these annual accrual requirements do not need to provide additional time off.
If passed, accrual of PST hours would begin May 1, 2025, but employer obligations start earlier. Beginning April 15th, employers must provide written notice to each current employee and all new hires within 14 days of beginning employment moving forward. In addition, each employer will be required to display a poster of employee rights under the new law. The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will be tasked with enforcing compliance, and violations could incur fines, with knowing violations incurring possible criminal liability.
The law includes legal options for employees such as filing of civil suits that could lead to recovery of unpaid time off, actual damages, reinstatement and back pay, and reasonable attorney’s fees, as well as other legal or equitable relief.
Employers should continually monitor every facet of the legislative landscape, including ballot initiatives that could affect the way they do business. Stay tuned to this space for more news regarding employer state compliance responsibilities.