© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kansas City Minimum Wage Question on August Ballot

A mural in the historic 18th and Vine jazz district in Kansas City, Mo.
A mural in the historic 18th and Vine jazz district in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City residents will vote in August on whether to raise the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The Kansas City Council agreed Thursday to comply with a Missouri Supreme Court order and put the petition initiative on the Aug. 8 ballot.

The Kansas City Star reports the proposal would increase the current $7.70 minimum wage to $10 per hour by Sept. 1 and gradually to $15 per hour by 2022.

The initiative is backed by civil rights activists, urban core ministers and other social justice advocates.

The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and many business groups oppose the measure.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in January that because petitioners gathered enough signatures, their measure should go to Kansas City voters. It could face legal challenges if it passes.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.