Media contact:  Jake Lowen, 316-213-8716, for

Raise the Wage, a project of the Kansas Action Network

Press Release for immediate distribution:

A Salute to All Who Worked to Raise the Minimum Wage in Kansas

Friday, May 1, 2009 – A week ago, Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law Senate Bill 160, which raises the Kansas minimum wage from $2.65 an hour to $7.25 an hour, effective January 1, 2010.  This is a major step forward for workers in Kansas, so today – May 1st, International Workers Day – we salute everyone who helped make this happen. 

An estimated 20,000 workers will benefit, including workers in about a dozen job categories who are not covered by the federal minimum wage:  childcare and elder care workers, domestic service workers, some micro-industrial and micro-farm workers, and people employed in several other fields.  Nationally, over two thirds of such workers are women; the majority work at least 30 hours a week; under 20% are teens; and four fifths have high school diplomas.   

Thanks to the supporters and sponsors of SB160, these workers will get a raise in 2010.   This was our goal when, almost two years ago to the day, we founded “Raise the Wage Kansas” – and we are deeply gratified by the support we have received in those two years from countless groups and individuals.

We thank everyone who worked in our energetic grassroots Raise the Wage campaigns in Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City Kansas.  We are grateful to everyone who helped to pass an ordinance in July 2008 to raise the minimum wage in Kansas City Kansas.  This was a trailblazing step that showed Kansas the way forward.

We received indispensable help from Let Justice Roll, the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, United Methodist Church, American Friends Service Committee, Presbyterian Church, Adorers of the Blood of Christ, Kansas AFL-CIO, Wichita-Hutchinson Labor Federation, Tri-County Labor Council, Interfaith Workers Justice, United Auto Workers, Midwest Sociological Society, and many other groups, especially local faith and community groups.

Hundreds of Raise the Wage supporters circulated petitions, organized events, met with legislators, called friends, and otherwise sought to get the word out.   They succeeded!  And many elected officials showed initiative and responsiveness.   We were deeply pleased that SB160 passed by large majorities in both the House and Senate. 

Now, Kansas will have a state minimum wage that matches the federal minimum wage.  It was in 1972 that César Chavez of the United Farm Workers coined a slogan that still resonates – “Si, se puede,” “Yes, we can.”  We hope others share our conviction that the success of Raise the Wage Kansas shows the continuing truth of this slogan. 

Kansas Action Network is a 12-year-old coalition, with 30 affiliates, which works to promote economic and social justice.

We welcome inquiries from anyone who would like to know more about our past or would like to help us shape our future.