Pro-Worker Referendum For Minimum Wage and Paid Leave Were Winners This Election

There is a silver lining to this weeks elections and NPR has the news in How States Voted on minimum wage and and paid sick leave…

Voters in two red states, Alaska and Missouri, approved ballot measures to raise the minimum wage and require employers to provide paid sick time to their workers.

In Alaska, the minimum wage will gradually rise to $15 per hour by July 1, 2027, up from $11.73 currently, the lowest on the West Coast. After that, the minimum wage will be adjusted to keep pace with inflation.

In Missouri, the minimum wage will gradually rise to $15 an hour by January 1, 2026, up from $12.30 currently. Starting in 2027, an annual inflation adjustment will also be applied.

According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, $15 an hour still falls below what individuals would need to earn to support just themselves in most places in the country — including Missouri and Alaska — not to mention their families.

(graphic by Geralt on Pixabay)