![\"gavel\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wvih.com\/wp1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/gavel.jpg?resize=300%2C168\")
\nLocal governments in Kentucky can increase the minimum wage, but a federal judge ruled Wednesday that they can’t ban labor unions from requiring employees to join them.<\/p>\n
\nLocal governments in Kentucky can increase the minimum wage, but a federal judge ruled Wednesday that they can’t ban labor unions from requiring employees to join them.<\/p>\n
State lawmakers have fought each other to a stalemate on both issues in recent years, inspiring like-minded local government officials to tackle the topics on their own. Lawsuits ensued in both cases.<\/p>\n
Last year, a state judge ruled Louisville’s minimum wage increase legal. An appeal is pending before the Kentucky Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge David Hale invalidated Hardin County’s ban, ruling that only state governments can opt out of a federal law that allows closed shop or agency shop agreements that require employees to join a labor union or pay union dues regardless of whether they are union members.<\/p>\n
This is the second time a judge has thrown out a local right-to-work law in Kentucky. The first time was in 1965 in Shelbyville. But since then, the Kentucky legislature has delegated some powers to local governments, allowing them to act on the state’s behalf. That’s why local governments say they have the authority to pass local right-to-work laws, even though federal law says only states can do that.<\/p>\n
Hale’s ruling applied to Hardin County’s ordinance. Officials there say they plan to appeal the ruling.
\nSource: AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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