To Missouri lawmakers: Stop trying to overturn voters on paid sick time, minimum wage | Opinion

In November, we passed Proposition A, finally guaranteeing Missourians like me the earned paid sick days and $15 an hour we deserve. The measure won overwhelmingly with bipartisan support because fast food workers like me joined Stand Up KC and organized our strength in numbers for more than a decade to make this victory possible.

But now, lawmakers in Jefferson City are trying to undo our hard work. They are pushing bills to halt implementation of Prop A — putting the profits of greedy corporations over people like me whose labor makes those profits possible.

I’m 55 years old and I’ve spent over half my life in maintenance jobs at McDonald’s, working hard to make sure customers are dining in a clean and safe environment.

But for how much I’ve given the company in time and work ethic, it has always put me and my coworkers last. I’ve often gone in, even when injured on the job, since I don’t have paid sick days.

One time, I was working on a piece of equipment that slipped and sliced through my finger. I headed to urgent care, where they glued it shut. I missed half a day on the job and returned to work the next day.

That’s not all. I’ve gotten sprains and scars from burns while working, and since 1988, I’ve also dealt with kidney stone attacks. 20 years ago, I had a particularly painful episode and rushed to the emergency room. The store owner advised me to use vacation time to recover. I earned five days after more than a year of work. That week of recovery cost me my entire vacation.

My landlords don’t care about me missing work to get better — they just want the rent, and I care about keeping a roof over my head. So I tell myself, even when it feels impossible: If I can get out of bed, I can get to work.

For some time I was my mom’s primary caregiver. Without paid sick days, I couldn’t always check on her when she was unwell. One day, I went to work and when I returned, she was unresponsive. She’d had a stroke and was in a coma for the next three days. I’m still reeling from the anguish of knowing that day could have gone differently had I been able to show up for her when I needed to.

It’s why I’m so angry that state lawmakers are attacking Prop A — and in doing so, attacking workers across the state by trying to keep 1 of every 3 of us choosing between taking care of ourselves or loved ones, and our paycheck.

The hardest I’ve seen fast food CEOs work is when it comes to pushing workers to our limit without dignified pay and benefits, all while they — and the vast majority of America’s wealthiest — have paid sick days. It’s what they’re doing right now as lawmakers support corporate-backed legislation to roll back our paid sick days and wage hike, which keeps us trapped in poverty.

This is not what Missourians voted for.

Eighteen other states, including our neighbors in Illinois and Nebraska, have paid sick leave laws. We all get sick — having the chance to get better protects us all. And when it comes to wages, this year’s Prop A increase raised pay for nearly 440,000 Missouri workers and injects more than $365 million into our state economy.

It’s why I gathered signatures — including from everyone in my family — to put $15 an hour and paid sick days on the ballot.

Just like we came together — Black, white and brown; Republican, independent and Democrat; urban and rural — to win what’s best for all Missourians, we can come together to defend that win. Let’s urge our lawmakers to honor the will of Missouri voters — not corporate greed — by preserving the benefits that workers like me have more than earned.