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So when Republicans in Missouri repealed a paid sick leave mandate that the state’s voters approved by 58% after an aggressive lobbying campaign by the Missouri chamber of commerce and industry and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.”

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[–] 152 points 1 year ago (19 children)

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?

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  • [–] 77 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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

    It's infuriating :/

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  • [–] 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    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.

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    [–] 115 points 1 year ago (21 children)

    "Have the day you voted for", leopards etc.

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  • [–] 89 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    In this instance, they voted for paid sick leave. Yeah, these people should have the day they voted for.

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  • [–] 33 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    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

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  • [–] 53 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    But the republicans are in power and have campaigned for years on a clear platform to support capitalists and not the working class.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I understood 2 of those phrases but the rest sounds like commie bullshit.

    • Republican voters
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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    “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,” von Glahn said. “Any notion that there’s really a Republican party, that is a party of workers, Missouri shows just how much of a stranglehold corporate interests still have on the Republican establishment. I think that’s a cautionary tale for working-class people.”

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    [–] 72 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    I was talking with my brother about how republican state congresses tend to overturn voter initiatives. I don't understand this cuck attitude that keeps so many people voting for them.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Because the Democrats aren't running on those platforms, because they are also opposed to thise initiatives. The Democrats COULD run on a platform of guaranteed sick leave, mandatory holiday pay, rent control, and other wildly popular pro-worker policies, but they don't ecause they want to "appeal to moderates" or some other dumb bullshit. So you end up with a useless Democratic party in states like Ohio, Missouri, and Wisconsin who refuse to help people because they don't want Republicans to call them socialists. Then come election time they get caleld socialists anyway who support " illegals stealing jobs and giving abortions" or whatever and and shocked Pikachu when they keep losing elections. Until Democrats start openly campaigning on things that immediately benefit workers, they will continue to lose ground to the Republicans.

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    [–] 54 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Oh dumbass Missourians.

    Just like in 2018 when they voted against right to work and on the same ballot voted in a Republican majority and the Republican majority tried to implement right to work as the first item on the new session.

    Never learn Missourians, never learn.

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  • [–] 49 points 1 year ago
    [–] 45 points 1 year ago (11 children)

    NOTE: Not a literal gut punch.

    Thank you for your attention to this grammar.

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    [–] 41 points 1 year ago

    It wont stop them from voting republican.

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  • [–] 40 points 1 year ago (14 children)

    Read the article to see if someone was punched in the gut. Spoiler: nobody was.

    Fuck Missouri.

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    [–] 37 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Sorry, but get fukt red Missourians. I hope they feel as much pain and anguish as possible, because it's the only way they learn, if it personally negatively affects them. And even then they sometimes still don't learn (see: COVID). I feel terrible for the democrat voters that get screwed anyway.

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  • [–] 29 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Missouri has voted on numerous laws that have been repealed by state legislators. We voted an anti-gerrymandering law in but it was repealed a year later. We voted for abortion and they tried to take that back, we voted for better pay and sick leave, and they are taking that.

    I don’t know how red Missouri actually is or if it’s just getting fucked by some bad representation. (Don’t get me wrong, Missouri voted in Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt, it’s not perfect)

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  • [–] 32 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    I've never understood this. Even from the viewpoint of an extremely selfish person; do you want someone with COVID, the flu, or a cold making your food, or even just interacting with you in a retail environment? And as for employers; how shortsighted are you that you don't realize that while one sick person coming in may be better for productivity than them staying home, that quickly becomes five sick people working much less efficiently instead of four healthy ones and one person out sick?

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    [–] 31 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The thing that is crazy to me about all of this even when midterms come up people will still go out and support the GOP. There is no bottom floor to hit for them.

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    [–] 25 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    This is what happened in Ontario. Our premier took away mandatory paid sick days right away and guess what happened next? ...Ontario voted for him again 4 years later with a majority. And then they did it again earlier this year.

    Never underestimate how stupid the voter base is.

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    [+] 23 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)
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    [–] 21 points 1 year ago

    This administration is definitely trying to kill off the poor

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The irony is that in the passing of sick leave and the repeal of it Missourians still got what they voted for. No sympathy.

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    [–] 18 points 1 year ago

    Missourian businesses basically want workhouses... say goodbye to modern ideas of a weekend.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Have the day you voted for.

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    [–] 18 points 1 year ago

    When you vote for GOPers, this is what happens

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  • [+] 16 points 1 year ago
    [–] 15 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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