Joint Statement by St. Louis DSA, Kansas City DSA, and Mid-Missouri DSA – Missouri chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) celebrate the decision of Missourians to overturn the state’s abortion ban, raise the minimum wage, and guarantee paid sick leave. DSA volunteers gathered thousands of signatures to put Proposition A and Amendment 3 on the ballot and knocked on thousands of doors to secure their passage.
“This victory shows what happens when workers come together to create change. Had we simply waited and hoped for others to give us the dignity we deserve, where would we be? Rather, we did the hard work ourselves,” said Alejandro Gallardo, member of the steering committee of Mid-Missouri DSA.
Crucial facts about these ballot initiatives:
- Proposition A puts into place the highest inflation-adjusted minimum wage in Missouri history. The buying power of the federal minimum wage peaked at $13.69 in 2024 dollars in 1969. With the passage of Proposition A in 2024 (and previous propositions in 2006 and 2018) Missouri voters reversed the 60-year slide in the value of minimum wage, uninterrupted at the federal level since 2009. Workers subject to the federal minimum wage will soon be paid half what they would have been paid in the 1960s. Workers in Missouri will be paid more — and, thanks to the propositions’ inflation peg, will keep that level of pay as long as these measures remain in the statute books.
- Amendment 3 overturns one of the United States’s most extreme abortion bans and puts reproductive rights, under assault in Missouri long before Roe v. Wade was overturned, into the state Constitution. Missourians who had to cross state lines to get an abortion — estimates suggest more than 10,000 did so in 2023 — and the unknown number of Missourians that could not make that trip will be able to access these services when and where they need them.
- The United States is one of less than a dozen of countries that do not offer workers paid sick leave. Passage of Proposition A also means the estimated 200,000 Missourians without access to this benefit will not have to sacrifice a paycheck to look after their health or the health of their loved ones.
These ballot initiatives are on track to dramatically outperform Kamala Harris and the Democratic ticket statewide — demonstrating the potential of direct democracy and progressive policy anywhere in the country. Continued right-wing control of state government means it is crucial that Missourians organize to keep up the pressure. Politicians in Jefferson City must be made to understand that any attempt to repeal these measures, undermine the rights they guarantee, or limit the initiative petition process that made them possible will be punished by the voters that backed them.
While celebrating tonight’s victory, democratic socialists in Missouri understand that these measures are not sufficient. Missourians deserve a living wage and robust workers rights, secured by union representation. Households with retirees, children and students, and non-wage earning people with disabilities and care-givers need support outside the labor market. Abortion rights under the American healthcare system are only real for people with the ability to pay. Medicare for All would extend this right to all, free at the point of use.
To protect the gains embodied in Proposition A and Amendment 3, and to organize for more, join DSA today or get in touch with your local DSA chapter:
To join (all chapters): dsausa.org/join
In St. Louis: stldsa.org
In Kansas City: kcdsa.org
In Columbia and Mid-Missouri: midmodsa.org / interest form
At the University of Missouri: linktr.ee/MizzouYDSA
In Springfield and the Ozarks: linktr.ee/dsa_ozarks
In Southeast Missouri: facebook.com/SEMODSA
To find another chapter: dsausa.org/chapters
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About DSA: The Democratic Socialists of America are the largest socialist organization in the United States. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.
About DSA in Missouri: Missouri has four DSA chapters — St. Louis DSA, Kansas City DSA, Ozarks DSA (which holds meetings in Springfield) and Mid-Missouri DSA (which holds meetings in Columbia) — a student chapter at the University of Missouri, and a pre-chapter organizing committee in South-East Missouri (which holds meetings in Farmington).
