Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: On January 1, 20 states raise their minimum wage and several states have additional increases planned in the coming months. Yesterday, we learned that Walmart will raise its base pay to $9 an hour this April. KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: All this movement on the minimum reminded us of a story that aired on Morning Edition last year. It was from David Kestenbaum from our NPR's Planet Money team. He took us back to a time when the debate was not about how much the minimum wage should be, but whether the U.S. should have one at all. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST) DAVID KESTENBAUM, BYLINE: For much of American history, there was no minimum wage. And to understand the obstacles it faced, consider this story. In 1895, the state of New York decided it wanted to improve working conditions in what, at the time, could be a deadly profession - baking bread. ERIC RAUCHWAY: Bakeries are, in fact, extremely dangerous places to work. KESTENBAUM:
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