Missouri minimum wage workers can’t make ends meet. Vote yes on Prop A for dignity | Opinion

The Kansas City Star recently reported that more than 450 businesses across Missouri have pledged their support to a measure that would both raise the minimum wage and allow workers to earn paid sick time off. In November, Missouri voters will have the opportunity to vote on the measure, which is Proposition A on the ballot. Proposition A gives Missouri voters the chance to pass a life-changing measure that would help hardworking parents like me put more food on the table and care for our families when we’re needed most.

When I was growing up, I lived in a town with good schools, visited the doctor regularly and never went hungry. My dad, a U.S. Postal Service worker, and my mom gave us a good life, enabling me to go to college and earn a degree in 1995 as a drafting engineer. I started my career making good money with room to grow at Burns & McDonnell. But after only a couple years, my family’s upward trajectory came to a crashing halt when I was laid off because I couldn’t afford the new training required for my role. With $43,000 of student debt and mouths to feed, I had to find work fast.

I landed in the food service industry, and for the last 35 years, unlike my father, I have never received adequate wages, health care or any kind of paid leave. Most of my co-workers are adults supporting their families, working 40 hours and earning $492 a week at minimum wage. As a result, many working families, like mine, rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or food pantries, and far too many struggle with homelessness.

Without paid time off, if we get sick, we can either go to work and get a paycheck, or take care of ourselves and not be able to cover the bills. But going to work sick has its own consequences. When I couldn’t afford to take a sick day or see a dentist, a toothache turned into an infection that made me lose all my teeth. I’ve struggled with constant pain and infection over the years, with Tylenol as my only source of relief. A kind stranger once paid for my dental work, which meant my wife saw me smile for the first time in years. But we just can’t rely on the generosity of strangers to get our basic needs met.

It’s bad enough to have to go to work sick, but it’s another thing when you’re unable to care for a loved one who is ill. Everyone deserves the dignity of caring for their family. And unless voters take action, Missouri workers like me will continue to miss those fundamental moments that build and define a family. Corporate executives have the opportunity to take paid sick time off, so why shouldn’t the workers who run our state’s economy?

Proposition A would help working families by gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and allowing workers to earn paid sick leave of up to five days at smaller employers, or seven at larger ones.

In the absence of leadership by our elected leaders, voters have a rare opportunity to take charge and give working Missourians a fighting chance to care for our families with dignity.