Missouri: Jurors Deserve Fair Pay

Missouri employers are not required to pay employees for any time off taken to fulfill a jury service obligation. While employees may not be required or requested to use annual, vacation, personal, or sick leave for time spent on jury service many have to in order to avoid a gap in income. This is valuable paid time off that subtracts from the few days that workers get each year to care for their children when they're sick, see a doctor when they fall sick themselves, or take care of other urgent matters. If an employee doesn't have paid time off and the employer doesn't pay them while absent for jury duty, they're just out of luck. If you're a small business owner or self-employed, again, you're just out of luck.

It's time Missouri became a leader in paying jurors fairly.

The current rate of $6/day + $0.07/mile for jurors in many counties is insulting. However, the rate of pay varies greatly by county with one court paying $50/day + $.30/mile. It's time the Missouri Legislature established one fair rate of pay applicable to all the courts. At a minimum, an hourly pay rate in line with a living wage plus a mileage reimbursement reflective of today's high gas prices would be a step in the right direction.

A list of all Missouri courts and their respective juror pay rates can be found here: http://www.courts.mo.gov/osca/index.nsf/0689b8c101eb734c86256555007e179d/dd63139e9a06d3bb8625697c005233ad?OpenDocument

We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Missouri Legislature review the pay for all jurors in Missouri and establish fair pay for hardworking Missourians that take time from earning an income to complete their civic duty.