Voters approved sick leave mandate by 58% but lawmakers are caving to lobbying by the state’s chamber of commerce

Voters approved sick leave mandate by 58%, but lawmakers are caving to lobbying by the state’s chamber of commerce

Being sick is a costly business for Bill Thompson, who worked in the fast-food industry in Independence, Missouri, for more than 30 years, and recently worked at Guitar Center until early July, when he was laid off as.

“As an older worker, I have health issues from working on my feet and with my hands for many years with no breaks for eight to 10 hours a day. I have done it for 38 years now, living paycheck to paycheck,” 54-year-old Thompson said, noting in Missouri, workers are not mandated breaks of any kind during work.

So when Republicans in Missouri repealed a paid sick leave mandate that the state’s voters approved by 58% after an aggressive lobbying campaign by the Missouri chamber of commerce and industry and other business industry groups, he said, “It was a literal gut punch.”

  • DickFiasco@sh.itjust.works
    2·
    4 months ago

    Even on a day where Missourians sort of overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump, Josh Hawley and Governor Kehoe, they also overwhelmingly voted for an increase in paid sick days.

    So they elected candidates who historically have opposed labor protections and government benefits, and then expected to get paid sick leave?

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
      2·
      4 months ago

      Fox news tells them the GOP are pro-worker and the Democrats actually hate America and workers.

      It’s infuriating :/

      • fishy@lemmy.todayEnglish
        3·
        4 months ago

        Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for three decades straight and I’m the average Republican.

        • kautau@lemmy.world
          1·
          4 months ago

          Yeah but I pray to the photo of Reagan on my wall every night that if I keep my mouth open and look up then the wealth will piss trickle down from the rich as they get richer

      • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
        1·
        4 months ago

        The GOP are proanti-worker and the Democratstic leadership actually hate America andworkers

        There we go, now it makes sense :)

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      4 months ago

      I’m a school bus driver and our shop is union (Teamsters). My coworkers rabidly support our union, but are opposed to all other unions (except police unions of course) including even the teachers’ union in our district. They’re also mostly MAGA. They’re just so fucking clueless about their own self-interest, leaving aside their utter selfishness. Our dispatcher is a lesbian who proudly talks about her wife, and she’s the most rabid trumper of them all. I had one painful conversation with her where she insisted that it’s the GOP that brought about same-sex marriage.

      • Azal@pawb.socialEnglish
        1·
        4 months ago

        KC here… I’m frankly fucking AMAZED we’re still not a “Right to Work” state… for how quickly everything else has been overturned blatantly I’m amazed Gov Heehaw didn’t find a way to gut it on the way out.

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        4 months ago

        she insisted that it’s the GOP that brought about same-sex marriage

        Well she’s about to find out the hard way how wrong this is as the Supreme Court is about to (probably) overturn Obergefell