Kentucky Employment Law Update – October 2016
Kentucky Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisville Minimum Wage Ordinance
On October 20, 2016, the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down Louisville’s minimum wage ordinance in a 6 – 1 decision, stating that the Louisville Metro government did not have the authority to enact an ordinance requiring a higher minimum wage than the state’s statutory minimum.
Passed in 2014, the Louisville ordinance would have gradually raised the minimum wage to $9 an hour by July 2017. The rate was bumped to $7.75 an hour in 2015, and increased to $8.25 an hour starting July 1 of this year.
The decision also means that the Lexington minimum wage ordinance, which passed in November 2015, is no longer valid.