Economic Justice News

Central Kentucky KFTC Chapter members are still celebrating a big victory in Lexington. On November 19 the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government voted 9-6 to raise the minimum wage in Fayette County from $7.25 to $10.10 over a period of three years.

The chapter had been working on this issue for nearly a year by lobbying council members, cosponsoring and attending rallies, speaking at council meetings, writing and calling council members, and writing op-eds and letters to the editor, among other strategies.

This victory is significant not only because it will affect an estimated 31,300 workers, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, but also because it makes Lexington the second city in Kentucky and only the third city in the South to raise the minimum wage.

Janet Tucker, a long-time KFTC member, former KFTC chair, and co-chair of the Working Families Campaign is excited about the victory. She first brought the issue of raising the minimum wage to the chapter.

“This was a tremendous victory for thousands of hard-working people in Lexington!”

“This was a tremendous victory for thousands of hard-working people in Lexington!” Tucker said. ”Much thanks goes out to the many people, including KFTC members, who worked on this for months, to Jennifer Messotti who championed this bill, and to Steve Kay and all members of council who voted for this bill. We realize this is not a living wage and there is still much work to be done. The Lexington Working Families Campaign will continue to work equity here in Central Kentucky.”

This article describes Empower Kentucky, a project of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth aimed at getting community stakeholders to formulate their own clean energy plan by June 2016 in response to the EPA’s new Clean Power Plan.

Last month the Jefferson County Chapter hosted the 2nd annual Smoketown GetDown for Democracy block party: the party hasn’t stopped since!  The event was a celebration of the history of the Smoketown neighborhood and the innovative ideas from local residents for its future.

UPDATE (July 7): The Minimum Wage Ordinance has been recalled from the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee and is going to the full council! There will be a council discussion session on August 20, 4 p.m. in the council chambers (200 E Main St).

Central Kentucky Chapter members are pushing forward to raise the minimum wage in Lexington, in the face of their city council members tabling the ordinance at the last Budget and Finance Committee hearing on June 23 for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

So far, it has been a summer of KFTC members and our allies in the Working Families Coalition building momentum by rallying, lobbying, writing op-eds, and giving testimony at hearings, and the chapter has no intention of backing down.

CKY Members and allies are planning to gather this Tuesday evening, July 7, at 6 p.m. at the LFUCG Council meeting to push for the ordinance to be heard by the entire Council in August after a summer recess. 

Two rallies in Lexington have already been organized and carried out by chapter members and our allies this summer, the most recent on June 23 in Phoenix Park prior to the LFUCG Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee hearing. After the rally, supporters marched to the Budget and Finance Committee hearing.