In response to the Illinois state legislature’s final passage of a bill gradually raising the state minimum wage to $15/hour, National Employment Law Project executive director Christine Owens issued the following statement:
“Illinois is bringing the Fight for $15 to the Midwest. If this bill is enacted, more than one-in-three workers statewide would receive raises averaging $2,400 a year once it’s fully phased in, and a full 25 percent of the U.S. workforce would be on the path to a $15 minimum wage. Research on Chicago’s minimum wage, which is already on its way to $13 an hour, has found that it has raised pay without hurting job growth. Governor Bruce Rauner now gets to show whether he stands with working families struggling for a fair shot – or with corporate lobbyists trying to hold down pay. If Rauner vetoes the measure, it is likely to return as a major issue in his 2018 reelection race.”
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