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Women are
41%
more likely to
live in poverty
than white men in
Missouri
Single-woman led households are at the
highest risk
of poverty in
Missouri
In
Missouri
, women earn
$0.75
for every dollar a white man makes
Women in
Missouri
are
52%
more likely to earn
minimum wage
than white men
Women in
Missouri
are
48%
more likely to earn a
tipped wage
than white men
In
Missouri
, at least
73%
of women are essential to the financial security of their household
Generally, Missouri law prohibits employers from paying female employees less than male employees at the same employer for the same quantity and quality of the same classification of work.[1]
a. Affirmative Defenses: To justify a pay disparity, employers can assert that it was based on: seniority, length of service, ability, skill, difference in duties or services performed, difference in the shift or time of day worked, hours of work, restrictions or prohibitions on lifting or moving objects in excess of a specified weight, factors other than sex, or any other reasonable differentiation.[2]
b. Retaliation: Missouri law does not specifically protect workers who file an equal pay complaint from retaliation by their employer.
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.410 (2023).
[2] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.410 (2023).
No. Missouri’s law only protects sex and provides similar affirmative defenses of “factors other than sex, or any other reasonable differentiation.”[1]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.410 (2023).
No. Missouri law currently does not mandate pay disclosure.
No. Missouri law does not currently prohibit employers’ use of salary history in hiring and setting pay. However, a local law in Kansas City does prohibit employers from inquiring about a prospective employee’s salary history, screening applicants based on prior compensation, relying on an applicant’s compensation history in decisions about hiring, and generally refusing to hire or retaliating against an applicant who refused to disclose their salary history.[1]
[1] Kansas City, Mo. Code of Ordinances §§ 38-102, 38-103.
No. Missouri law does not include protection for employees’ pay discussions. However, under federal law private sector employers generally cannot prohibit employees from discussing wages, with some exceptions such as supervisors.[1]
[1] Your Right to Discuss Wages, Nat’l Lab. Rels. Bd., https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/your-rights-to-discuss-wages (last visited Jan. 28, 2022); see 29 U.S.C. §§ 151-169.
No. Employers in Missouri are currently not required to report gender-based pay data.
Yes. Minimum wage in Missouri is above the federal minimum wage and is scheduled to increase annually.[1] Missouri law prohibits localities from setting a higher minimum wage.[2]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.502 (2023).
[2] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.528 (2023).
No. Employers can pay tipped workers half of the state minimum wage rate with the expectation that employers will pay the difference if an employee’s wages don’t meet the minimum wage.[1]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.512 (2023).
Yes. Employers doing business in Missouri must pay their employees semimonthly, within sixteen days of the close of each payroll period.[1] However, executive, administrative, and professional employees, as well as employees paid by commissions, can be paid their salaries or commissions monthly.[2]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.080 (2023).
[2] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.080 (2023).
No. However, employees must be notified if an employer reduces their wages.[1]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.100 (2023).
Yes. Missouri law requires employers to pay at least one and a half times the employee’s regular rate, if the employee works more than 40 hours in a work week.[1] Employees who are exempt from federal minimum wage or overtime requirements are not covered under this statute.[2]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.505 (2023).
[2] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.505 (2023).
Yes. Under Missouri’s wage theft law, any employer who pays an employee less wages than that employee is entitled to is liable for the full amount of the wage rate and an additional amount of twice the unpaid wages as liquidated damages minus any amount the employer actually paid to the employee.[1] Employers are also liable for costs and reasonable attorney fees awarded by a court.[2] An agreement between the employer and employee to work for less than the wage rate cannot serve as a defense to any lawsuit.[3]
[1] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.527 (2023).
[2] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.527 (2023).
[3] Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.527 (2023).
