Minimum wage to rise in Mo., Ark.

Residents of Missouri and Arkansas voted on Tuesday to increase their state’s minimum wage to $12 and $11, respectively.

The wage hikes approved for the two states will be phased into place over a period of years.

In Missouri, where the minimum is currently $7.85 an hour, foodservice operators and other employers will be required to pay a minimum of $8.60 as of Jan. 1, $9.45 in 2020, $10.30 in 2021, $11.15 in 2022 and $12 in 2023.

Arkansas’ pay floor will rise to $11 by 2021.  The legal minimum wage will rise to $9.25 an hour on Jan. 1, $10 a year later and $11 the year after that.

The midterm election brought fewer increases than the balloting of two years ago, when five initiatives mandated pay hikes.