MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Efforts are underway to reverse the decision made by Missouri voters in last month's election, which approved increases to the minimum wage.

Proposition A called for a $15 an hour minimum wage by 2026 and guaranteed sick leave for part-time workers.

Employees and employers at restaurants like Thai Mamas in Maryland Heights say the voters have spoken and Missouri needs to listen.

Nickie Woodruff is the managing director of the Thai Kitchen Hospitality Group, which operates Thai Mamas and four other area restaurants. The restaurants already pay workers more than the minimum wage established by Prop. A and following voters’ wishes was beneficial for business, she said.

“I think the incentive of having that higher minimum definitely brings people (prospective employees) in the door,” she said. “I think you’ll be able to generate more staff to come in and have that incentive to want to work, especially people who are working part-time.”

Voters approved Prop A by a resounding 58% to 42% margin, raising the state minimum wage to $13.75 in January and up to $15 in 2026.

However, the Missouri Grocers Association and the Missouri Restaurant Association, among others, want the court to stop Prop A, saying in a petition to the Missouri Supreme Court that the “fiscal note summary” on the ballot was “insufficient and unfair,” with one-time and yearly ongoing cost estimates ranging from zero to $50,000 and zero to $256,000, while the ballot made no mention of an estimate from the Missouri Budget Project Group (which supported Prop A) of $679 million in direct costs to private employers and the state.

Still, Woodruff believes Prop A is actually another tool for business owners to hire and hold onto staff, which has been a struggle since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold more than four years ago.

“A good work environment, a good product, keep the staff happy—that’s what really keeps them and of course having those wages a little bit higher,” she said.

The court petition says Prop. A also violates the “single subject” rule in the Missouri Constitution, which says voter propositions cannot be about more than one subject. Prop A also includes a provision to guarantee workers one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

Missouri lawmakers are expected to file legislation to repeal Prop. A. They can do that because Prop. A is statutory compared to constitutional amendments, like Amendment 3, which restored abortion rights in Missouri.

Missouri lawmakers are expected to file bills to repeal Prop. A. They can do that because Prop. A is statutory, compared to constitutional amendments approved by voters in November, like Amendment 3, which restored abortion rights in Missouri.