Raising the minimum wage is not a new idea, as Missouri is one of 34 U.S. states and territories to raise pay beyond the federal mandate of $7.25 per hour. By comparison, Missouri’s expected wage rise to $15.00 per hour is slightly above average, with the highest being $17.00 per hour in the District of Columbia.

The 2024 election has come to an end, and the effects will be felt throughout the nation, as seems to be the case with all elections. Voters help pass new legislation at both the state and national level.

Among many issues voted upon this year, five new amendments and one proposition were on the ballot in Missouri. Of great significant to students was Proposition A, which the official ballot title describes as an amendment to “increase minimum wage January 1, 2025 to $13.75 per hour, increasing $1.25 per hour each year until 2026, when the minimum wage would be $15.00 per hour,” as well as to “require all employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked.” With a vote-percentage lead of 8%, Proposition A passed.

“As an hourly worker, I think it’s good, not just because of the wage, but because it also requires employers to provide sick hours [for every 30 hours worked],” said senior secretary Ericka Webb. “It’s helpful for people who don’t have benefits.”

Many students and staff members will benefit from this change, as a portion of them work jobs for an hourly rate intermittently between school hours. 

“I work at Target. It’s pretty nice being able to make money for myself,” said junior Braden Allen. “It’ll be nice for people to have to work less. They can focus on school, which is what they should be focusing on.”

The raise is good, but some blemishes cover the positive reception the bill has received. According to the MIT living wage calculator, which calculates how much money an individual living in an average household would need to support themselves, the living wage for a single, childless adult living in Missouri is $20.20 per hour, nearly $5 higher that what Proposition A promises.

“I’m thinking in the long run if there will be more taxes, less promotions, less hirings, having to work more with less,” Webb said. “I still think it’s good, knowing that, because a lot can happen, a lot can change.”

The election has always been a time for monumental change in the direction the United States is headed, and this year’s many changes are no different. Here in Missouri, the future is clouded by skepticism and misdirection due to how hard it has become to understand the ever complicated game of politics; however, positive change like the passing of Proposition A shine a light on a brighter path for Missouri, and perhaps for the country as a whole.

“If the minimum wage was raised, that means we’ll make more money. It makes life more livable,” Miller said. “It’s impossible to do some things, and though it might not help the economy overall, it’ll be nice to be able to do more as people.”