By investing in rural organizing, 21 rural counties voted to raise wages and enact a paid sick policy
In a meeting to decide how to proceed on a ballot measure, the sentiment was clear: workers were tired of being told to compromise before they even got to the table. So, Missouri workers went big. They packaged two ambitious worker priorities into a single ballot initiative. Detractors said it was too complicated and would galvanize the opposition.
Workers had a hunch that a broader worker agenda would inspire supporters and overpower any challenges created by stacking the two together. They were right, and in 2024, Missouri voters passed Prop A by a definitive 15 points.
The campaign, led by groups such as the Missouri Jobs with Justice, Missouri Organizing and Voter Engagement Collaborative, and the Missouri Workers Center, demonstrates the power of being bold in what we fight for. In doing so, they raised the minimum wage to $13.75 in 2025 and to $15 an hour in 2026 and allowed employees to earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
“We’ve shown the rest of the world, the rest of the country, that regardless of what’s going on outside of our state, we’re able to come together and win,” Terrence Wise of the Missouri Workers Center told Kansas City Public Radio. “We felt that we have the power as everyday Missourians to come together and make our lives better.”
Though Missouri groups saw a path to winning Proposition A by focusing on the densest parts of the state, they decided a rural strategy was important for this campaign and future fights.
Taney, a deep red county that sits at the Southern tip of the state, has never supported a progressive ballot initiative. But that changed in 2024. In Taney and other rural communities, workers organized drive-thru signature-gathering events, landed opinion pieces and letters to the editor in local papers, knocked on doors, sent postcards, presented at union meetings and church fish fries, and tabled at county parades and festivals.
The effort paid off. A majority of voters came out in support of the initiative. It was one of 21 counties of less than 100,000 that voted yes on Prop A.
In August 2025, statehouse Republicans voted to repeal the paid sick portion of the measure, reversing the will of the people. Because organizing groups in the state went big, they have a bigger base of support and more confidence as they enter the next fight. That power was on display on September 10, when thousands of Missourians filed into the State Capitol, pushing back on a Republican-led effort to do mid-decade redistricting and make voter-led ballot measures harder to pass.
This kind of turnout would be impossible if not for running campaigns that inspire workers and bringing so many new people into worker and community organizations. Though this show of force was in resistance to a power grab, those who showed up did so with a belief that “we can win,” because they have, in fact, won.
Organizers in Missouri have a lot to teach. 1) Go big and inspire more people to join, fight, and vote in your favor; 2) Invest in rural, for the present fight and the long haul; and 3) Economic populist solutions resonate with voters across party lines. We should all keep our eye on the state as their battle for the rights of workers and a democracy that honors the will of the people could provide valuable lessons for the rest of us.