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Gov. Parson wants lawmakers to give state workers a pay raise

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Mike Parson wants to give state workers a pay raise to offset inflation and keep employees from leaving for better paying jobs. 

Currently, there are roughly 7,000 job openings across state government in Missouri, which is why the governor said this increase is necessary. His plan includes the largest pay raise in Missouri’s history but it’s going to need approval from the General Assembly. 

“We’re always playing from behind and we have an opportunity with what we have in our surplus to catch up and we need to do that,” Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, told reporters Thursday. 

For the second year in a row, the governor is pushing for a pay increase for state workers. His request this time is an 8.7% boost. 

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“You’re not trying to butt out the private sector, you’re not trying to put the private sector at a detriment,” Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said. “I think the nature of how bad our workforce situation is right now; you’re just trying to stay up.”

Last year, state employees received a 7.5% pay raise, after lawmakers approved an additional 5.5% at the end of February, on top of the 2% increase workers received in January of 2022. Under this request from Parson, there seems to be agreement from both sides of the aisle. 

“The pay raise isn’t about buying an extra car, it’s about surviving in the new world and the new world is unfortunately built with a five-dollar gallon of milk,” Rizzo said. 

Parson also wants to increase the shift differential to $2 an hour for state congregate care employees who work overnight at prisons, mental health facility and veterans nursing homes. Those state workers fall under the Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Corrections (DOC), Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Missouri Veterans Commission. 

“Certainly, the justification for doing it is necessary,” Rowden said. “You have to do something. Clearly we have a workforce at the state level that does a lot of important things for a lot of people.”

Missouri employs 50,000 workers, who are among some of the lowest paid state workers in the nation. 

“We’ve got to get to that place where we can be competitive against Target, McDonald’s, and all these other companies and businesses out there that are now paying $15, $16, $17, and up to $20 an hour.” 

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Right now, the state has a surplus of roughly $6 billion. Parson’s pay plan is estimated to cost $151.2 million, including $82.4 million in general revenue. Parson said he wants lawmakers to pass legislation as soon as possible, with the hopes of implementing the plan by March 1, allowing state workers to see the increase on their paystub by March 31. 

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, said in a statement that the governor’s pay plan needs to go further. 

“As a starting point, the governor’s proposed pay raise for state employees has merit. But it isn’t nearly enough to end Missouri’s sorry status of having the worst average state worker pay in the nation. A couple years of modest improvement simply isn’t enough to overcome decades of shortchanging state workers with annual raises that ranged from the miniscule to the non-existent. To be competitive in recruiting and retaining workers, state government must do much more. We are hopeful the House Budget Committee will build on the governor’s proposal to craft a more robust pay plan for our dedicated state workforce.”

This proposal comes just days before the governor is set to give his annual State of the State Address, where he will lay out his legislative priorities for lawmakers. Rowden and Rizzo expect childcare, education, workforce development, and infrastructure to be major topics of his speech. 

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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