Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed the Victims Economic Safety and Security Act (VESSA) into law earlier this summer with it becoming effective on August 28. On that date, Missouri joined a number of other states in extending unpaid leave to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. VESSA applies to all employers in Missouri with…
Presidents and presidential candidates come and go, with this year’s election no different than many others in our country’s history in that regard. But many of the issues Dunkin’ franchise owners care about are not solely or even principally determined in Washington, D.C. Rather, state lawmakers and their counterparts on the local level – city…
The states of Missouri and Colorado this week took very different actions relative to the impact of federal stimulus payments for the coronavirus pandemic will have on the state’s taxpayers. In the Show Me State, republican Governor Mike Parson signed a bipartisan tax bill that excludes stimulus payments authorized by the CARES Act from being…
It was never easy running a quick-service franchise. But over the past few months, the lives of Dunkin’ franchise owners have gotten infinitely more complicated. Franchisees already had their hands full before the coronavirus crisis hit keeping customers happy, keeping employees satisfied, and keeping bottom lines healthy—all while negotiating the challenges posed by various federal,…
Last week, we advised you that the Maryland Legislature wasted little time before it overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the Ban the Box legislation in the First State. Keeping in that vein, the city of St. Louis, Missouri approved its own ordinance a few weeks ago and became the third city in the Show…
As we’ve advised in the past, questions on raising the minimum wage were put to the voters in both Arkansas and Missouri this week and unfortunately, voters in both states agreed with advocates and approved the initiatives. In Arkansas, the current $8.50 minimum will increase to $9.25 in January 2019, then to $10 per hour…
For those in the state of Missouri who may need a little extra incentive to get out and vote next Tuesday, there is a question on the ballot that brings the issue of minimum wage home to roost – should the state mandate a minimum wage of $12 per hour by the year 2022? If…
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit this week in the US District Court in Columbia, Missouri challenging a new statute that took effect on Wednesday. An omnibus agriculture bill signed earlier this summer by former Governor Eric Greitens contained a provision prohibiting companies from calling a product “meat” unless it is derived from…
Private sector unions in Missouri were the big winners this past Tuesday as voters resoundingly opposed the state right to work law by a 67 – 33% margin. Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens signed right to work into law almost 18 months ago, but labor groups blocked enactment with a successful petition drive that placed…
As if the voters deciding to eliminate the Missouri right to work law wasn’t enough, state officials last week also approved for the fall ballot a measure to raise the state minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2023. The current minimum wage in Missouri is indexed to inflation by law and as a result…
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