--- title: Kentucky Raises Minimum Wage for State Workers, Urges Business Do Same description: The hourly minimum wage for state workers in Kentucky is being raised from $7.25 to $10.10, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear announced Monday. canonical: https://time.com/3913031/kentucky-minimum-wage-state-workers/ author: Jacob Koffler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-08T18:44:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:59.225Z article:section: Politics og:title: Kentucky Raises Minimum Wage for State Workers og:description: Gov. Steve Beshear urges businesses to do the same. og:url: https://time.com/3913031/kentucky-minimum-wage-state-workers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ea98243d33123b0/6988537c5f570f4d55b1bde6/ap177101048396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Steve Beshear og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kentucky Raises Minimum Wage for State Workers twitter:description: Gov. Steve Beshear urges businesses to do the same. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ea98243d33123b0/6988537c5f570f4d55b1bde6/ap177101048396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kentucky Raises Minimum Wage for State Workers, Urges Businesses To Do the Same > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=a9bb70b4-c959-4766-a79a-157ac3f93139&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A History Of The Minimum Wage [Watch (HLS stream): A History Of The Minimum Wage](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KFNoRaXc.m3u8) (3:56)  _Published 2014-02-28. See who raised the minimum wage and when throughout history._ by [Jacob Koffler](https://time.com/author/jacob-koffler/) ## Jacob Koffler Jun 8, 2015 6:44 PM UTC  Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear addresses the audience at the 50th annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast in Louisville, Ky., on July 19, 2015 Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear addresses the audience at the 50th annual Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast in Louisville, Ky., on July 19, 2015 Timothy D. Easley—AP by [Jacob Koffler](https://time.com/author/jacob-koffler/) ## Jacob Koffler Jun 8, 2015 6:44 PM UTC The hourly minimum wage for state workers in Kentucky is being raised from $7.25 to $10.10, Gov. Steve Beshear announced Monday. The wage increase affects 510 state employees and will cost taxpayers $1.6 million. A third of the affected employees work in state nursing homes for military veterans, according to Beshear. Other wage changes include an increase of the hourly tipped minimum wage from $2.19 to $4.90\. The policy will go into effect July 1. Beshear took to [Twitter](https://twitter.com/GovSteveBeshear) to rigorously defend the new policy. The increase for state employees sends a message to private business, says Beshear. Beshear joins Democrat House Speaker Greg Stumbo and many of his party’s state representatives in his fight for higher minimum wages for Kentuckians. Rep. Stumbo has been advocating for legislation raising the minimum wage for all workers in Kentucky in recent legislative sessions. The bill has passed the Democratic controlled House but is facing opposition in the Republican senate. The hike comes amid national calls for a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour. The movement has seen success in recent months, with $15 minimum wages having been established in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The issue is also gaining the attention of 2016 presidential hopefuls; Hillary Clinton [echoed wage activists](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/07/hillary-clinton-sounds-populist-note-at-fast-food-workers-convention/) in a speech delivered at a convention of low-wage workers in Detroit on Sunday, stating that she supports a $15 minimum wage. ## Transcript >> In 1938, the very first federal minimum wage was set at $ 0. 25 cents an hour when Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act. The wage is not tied to the rate of inflation, so it only goes up through congressional action. Twenty- two times since 1938, Congress and the President have worked together to raise it. Here's a look at when the wages have gone up over time. Keep an eye on the number in blue, which shows you how much that amount would be worth in today's dollars. -[ Music Playing ] [ Music Playing ] [ Music Playing ] [ Music Playing ] [ Music Playing ] [ Music Playing ] >> At its peak, the minimum wage in 1968 was worth $ 10. 75 in today's dollars, but the purchasing power that goes with it has not kept up. So, if you earn minimum wage in the 1960s, it was enough to fill up your basket with a week's groceries. But those earning minimum wage now would have to put some of those items back. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3913031/kentucky-minimum-wage-state-workers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3913031/kentucky-minimum-wage-state-workers/"},"headline":"Kentucky Raises Minimum Wage for State Workers, Urges Businesses To Do the Same","datePublished":"2015-06-08T18:44:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:58:59.225Z","description":"The hike comes amid national calls for a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour","url":"https://time.com/3913031/kentucky-minimum-wage-state-workers/","keywords":["States","Minimum Wage","Kentucky"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ea98243d33123b0/6988537c5f570f4d55b1bde6/ap177101048396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jacob Koffler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jacob-koffler/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ea98243d33123b0/6988537c5f570f4d55b1bde6/ap177101048396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Steve Beshear","caption":"Steve Beshear","creditText":"Timothy D. 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