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So when Republicans in Missouri repealed a paid sick leave mandate that the state’s voters approved by 58% after an aggressive lobbying campaign by the Missouri chamber of commerce and industry and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.”
There’s a lot of lead pipes here still. And massive swaths of empty land that votes against anyone that might try to maintain or replace them via the necessary step of raising taxes.
Kansas city and St Louis didn’t vote for Republicans. Unfortunately both blue patches aren’t quite half the States population. But were close enough that there governor is looking to take away our representation.
Before gerrymandering
Yep, Kansas city is sliced through the center like a pie. St Louis is a different kind of gerrymandered as well.