Statewide

Governor signs $15 minimum wage into law

By , Publisher/blogger |

SPRINGFIELD — On Thursday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that raised the state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. The State Journal-Register of Springfield reported that this also fulfilled one of Pritzker’s campaign promises. From the State Journal-Register:
Illinois is on track to be the first state in the Midwest to push its base wage to $15. It increases from $8.25 by $1 on Jan. 1, and jumps to $10 on July 1, 2020.

Statewide

$15 minimum wage bill could reach Pritzker this week

By , Publisher/blogger |

SPRINGFIELD — A vote on a $15 minimum wage in Illinois was scheduled for Thursday in the Illinois House and Democrats think it could be on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk the same day. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that it’s expected to pass with no Republican support. From the Sun-Times:
We’ll call it on the floor [Thursday] sometime after 1:30 in the afternoon, and my expectation is the bill will pass,” House Speaker Mike Madigan said. “My expectation is that there will be no Republicans in the House voting for the bill.”

Republicans, on the other hand, said the fast-tracked advancement of the measure puts an end to a short-lived era of good feeling between the parties at the Capitol. “This is a change of attitude since last month,” Republican House Leader Jim Durkin said.

Chicagoland

AFC, Equality Illinois back $15 an hour minimum wage

By , Publisher/blogger |

CHICAGO — The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and Equality Illinois have put their support behind a push for a $15 an hour minimum wage in Illinois. Equality Illinois said on their website that a higher minimum wage would be a huge help to the LGBTQ communities of the state. A $15 minimum wage can elevate many LGBTQ people out of poverty and provide an opportunity for greater economic security for us and our families. In a 2014 study, the Williams Institute at UCLA predicted that raising the federal minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 to $15 an hour would reduce LGBT poverty by one-third for male same-sex couples and by almost one-half for female same-sex couples. The percentage of poor female same-sex couples would fall from 6.9% to 3.7%, a 46% drop in poverty. Poverty among men in same-sex couples would fall from 3.4% to 2.2%, a drop of 35% in poverty. The poverty rates of married different-sex couples would also decrease from 5.6% to 3.1%. Almost 30,000 people in same-sex couples would see their incomes rise above the federal poverty level. AFC put out an email call for their supporters to contact their state representatives to push for a higher minimum wage.