No state-mandated paid sick leave
Missouri does not require employers to provide paid sick leave. The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations confirms that employers are not required to offer paid sick leave or any other type of paid fringe benefit; provision of such benefits is left to employer discretion or contract.
Jury duty leave protection
Missouri law prohibits employers from terminating, disciplining, threatening, or taking any adverse action against an employee because that employee received or responded to a jury summons. Employees may not be required or requested to use annual, vacation, personal, or sick leave for time spent responding to a jury summons, participating in jury selection, or serving on a jury. An employee discharged in violation of this protection may bring a civil action within 90 days for recovery of lost wages, other damages, reinstatement, and reasonable attorney's fees if the employee prevails.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 494.460
Voting leave — three-hour paid entitlement
Missouri entitles any person eligible to vote in an election held within the state to absent himself from services or employment for a period of three hours between the opening and closing of the polls for the purpose of voting. The statute prohibits discharge or threat of discharge for such absence, and bars any deduction from the employee's usual salary or wages on account of the absence, provided the employee votes. The employee may not be made "liable to any penalty" because of the absence.
Three-successive-hour exception
The three-hour entitlement does not apply to a voter on election day if there are three successive hours while the polls are open in which the voter is not in the service of his employer. For example, if Missouri polls open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m., an employee whose shift runs 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. has three successive non-work hours available (6:00–9:00 a.m. or, depending on the employee's end time, potentially after 4:00 p.m.) and would not trigger the statutory leave entitlement.
Prior-notice requirement
Request for leave must be made prior to the day of election. The statute does not specify how far in advance, the form of the request, or whether the employer may designate the particular hours (e.g., beginning or end of shift) during which the three-hour absence occurs.
Scope of protection
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.639 bars discharge, threat of discharge, and any deduction from wages. The phrase "shall not...be liable to any penalty" appears in the statute but is not further defined; whether this extends to written warnings, performance documentation, or other employer actions beyond termination and wage deductions has not been addressed in published Missouri case law or administrative guidance as of this writing.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.639
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) leave
Missouri law requires employers with at least 16 employees to provide up to ten workdays of unpaid, job-protected leave for employees whose child requires admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The right is codified at Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.560, effective June 1, 2026. Eligible employees include biological, adoptive, foster, and step-parents. Leave must be used within 12 months of the child's birth, adoption, or placement. NICU leave may run concurrently with other available state or federal leave, and the statute requires that the employee give reasonable advance notice if the need for leave is foreseeable, or as soon as practicable otherwise. Employers may require documentation of the NICU admission. The leave is unpaid but includes job protection during the absence.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.560
Not yet human confirmed. No subsequent statutory amendments or Department of Labor guidance identified as of 2026-07-12.
Pending Initiative Petition 2026-047 — proposed constitutional amendment on paid sick leave and minimum wage
As of June 15, 2026, Initiative Petition 2026-047 proposes to amend the Missouri Constitution to require paid sick leave and increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour, with future inflation adjustments. The measure is currently "Approved to Circulate" per the Missouri Secretary of State, which means supporters may gather signatures but the Secretary of State has not yet certified that it will appear on the November 3, 2026, ballot. The deadline to submit signatures was May 3, 2026. Certification of sufficiency for ballot inclusion must happen by August 4, 2026 (the 13th Tuesday prior to the general election), according to Missouri’s official initiative process summary.
Key content of the proposal (confirmed from ballot title):
- Would set the minimum wage at $15 per hour beginning January 1, 2027, with annual inflation-based increases.
- Would require private employers to provide paid sick leave. (The ballot title states that requirements for accrual and usage would apply to private, not state/local government, employers. Specific accrual mechanics would be detailed in the full text, not the title.)
- Authorizes enforcement by lawsuits and regulations; forbids the legislature from clarifying or limiting these new mandates.
- Allows political subdivisions with more than 10,000 residents, and all counties, to enact stricter standards.
Effective date and key procedural context: If adopted, the constitutional changes would take effect January 1, 2027, unless a different date is specified in the text. This is the earliest effective date explicitly mentioned in the ballot summary; statutory or technical details would be confirmed only from the full, final certified text (not yet available as a public ballot pamphlet).
Contrast with prior law (caution): The Secretary of State’s official initiative materials do not address the historical context of Proposition A or the legislature's 2025 repeal. Thus, details comparing this proposal to those previous statutes are outside the scope of official 2026 ballot summaries and should be cross-referenced with legislative records—not included in this section beyond noting that Initiative 2026-047 seeks to introduce a constitutional amendment (a more permanent form than ordinary statute).
Source: Missouri Secretary of State — 2026 Initiatives Source: Missouri Secretary of State — Initiative Petition Process Overview (2026) Source: Initiative 2026-047 Ballot Title (June 24, 2025)
Missouri voting leave — employer may designate three-hour window, violation is a Class IV election offense
Missouri law (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.639) entitles any eligible voter to be absent from work for up to three consecutive hours between the opening and closing of the polls in order to vote. Importantly, the statute provides that "[t]he employer may specify any three hours between the time of opening and the time of closing the polls during which such employee may absent himself." This means the employer has the explicit right to designate which three-hour period the employee will use for voting leave.
Pre-conditions for leave:
- The employee must request leave before election day.
- The entitlement does not apply if the employee already has three successive non-working hours while the polls are open.
Protection and penalties: The statute prohibits employers from discharging, threatening to discharge, or deducting wages from an employee for using voting leave, so long as the employee actually votes during the absence. Any employer who violates these provisions is "deemed guilty of a class four election offense."
A Class IV election offense, under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.637, is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.639 Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.637