Articles About Missouri Labor and Employment Law.

Recently, the Missouri Legislature passed a bill that would make it more difficult for a plaintiff to obtain punitive damages.  For a full discussion of the bill expected to be signed by the Governor, see the article from our colleagues by clicking here.

The “Show Me” state largely sheltered in place on April 6, 2020, when Governor Michael L. Parson and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) issued their initial “Stay Home Missouri” order. This came on the heels of Governor Parson’s March 13 Executive Order 20-02 declaring a state

As Missouri begins the work of gradually reopening its economy, state and local officials have provided certain restrictions and guidelines designed to continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  The State of Missouri implemented its Show Me Strong Recovery Plan, which included issuing a statewide Reopening Order (“Missouri Order”)

In an effort to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page has announced that as of 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020, all non-essential businesses in St. Louis County, Missouri will be required to close. The order originally directed closure through 11:59 p.m. on April 22, 2020, but closure has now been extended indefinitely and will be reevaluated in mid-May . St. Louis City Mayor Lyda Krewson also announced a similar order that took effect 6:00 p.m. on March 23, 2020. Like the County order, it originally directed closure through April 22, 2020, but closure has now been extended indefinitely and will be reevaluated in mid-May. These restrictions follow the earlier restrictions limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people.

On Friday, April 3, 2020, Governor Mike Parson directed Dr. Randall Williams, Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, to issue a statewide “Stay Home Missouri” Order (“Order”), which is effective April 4, 2020 through April 24, 2020. It is intended to directly reduce further spread of COVD-19 in the State of Missouri. Missouri employers most impacted by the Order include businesses without “essential worker functions” and all public retailers. Importantly, even the most stringent restrictions in the Order do not require any Missouri businesses to cease operations, but rather, merely follow enhanced social distancing guidelines. In many Missouri counties, the guidelines from local authorities will provide more restrictive requirements that must be followed.

On April 3, 2020, Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services issued a joint “Stay at Home” Order to protect the public and prevent the further spread of COVID-19 (the “Order”), which includes all of the exceptions set forth in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cyber-Security & Infrastructure Security Agency Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce (the “Guidance”). The Order is effective from April 6, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. through April 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., unless extended by the Director. The Governor also issued Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found here.

Summary: In an effort to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, while recognizing that the government must not hinder the delivery of essential services nor the ability of the market place to provide essential goods and services, St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann issued a Stay at Home Order (the “Order”) which took effect March 24, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. The Order is one of the least restrictive Stay at Home or Shelter in Place orders recently issued by other cities, counties, and states. The Order recognizes that the economy is better protected when the public health impacts of a pandemic are minimized while simultaneously protecting the businesses the citizens require for services, health, nutrition and employment.

On March 23, 2020, the Jefferson County Executive and the Jefferson County Health Department Director issued a joint “Stay at Home” Order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (the “Order”), with key components allowing residents to be able to perform a variety of tasks and permitting a wide variety of businesses to remain open. The Order includes a very extensive “Frequently Asked Questions” section in order to assist in interpretation.

On Saturday, March 21, 2020, Missouri government officials issued a series of new orders to address the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) for the State of Missouri, St. Louis County, and City of St. Louis. These measures include a “Social Distancing” order for the State of Missouri and “Stay at Home” orders aimed at St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis. All three orders go into effect on Monday, March 23, 2020.

In an effort to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page has announced that as of 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020, all non-essential businesses in St. Louis County, Missouri will be required to close through 11:59 p.m. on April 22, 2020. St. Louis City Mayor Lyda Krewson also announced a similar order that will be in effect from 6:00 p.m. on March 23, 2020, until April 22, 2020. These restrictions follow the earlier restrictions limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people.

The City of St. Louis Board of Alderman unanimously passed “ban the box” legislation prohibiting employers in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, from basing job hiring or promotion decisions on applicants’ criminal histories. The Ordinance will take effect on January 1, 2021, for employers with at least 10 employees.

The City of St. Louis, Missouri enacted a ban-the-box ordinance prohibiting employers within the city from basing promotions or hiring decisions on an individual’s criminal history or a related sentence.1 The ordinance will take effect January 1, 2021. In the meantime, the Office of the License Collector (OLC) in the City of St. Louis is instructed to publicize that compliance with the ordinance will be a requirement for local businesses to obtain a business license.

Kansas City, Missouri joined the growing list of cities with salary history bans, aligning with a national trend that continues to gain momentum. On May 23, 2019, the city council passed Ordinance No. 190380—aimed to address the city’s reported 21.7% gender pay gap.1 The ordinance takes effect on October 31, 2019, and applies to any employer in Kansas City that employs six or more employees.2

While not recognizing discrimination based upon sexual orientation or gender identity as being protected under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA), the Missouri Supreme Court has issued two separate opinions that expand protection of LGBTQ individuals under the MHRA.

Executive Summary: On February 26, 2019, the Missouri Supreme Court extended legal protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in two separate cases—one dealing with employment rights and the other dealing with accessibility rights to public facilities by transgender students.