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The legislation was co-sponsored by Reps. Marlow Colvin, D-Chicago;
Larry McKeon, D-Chicago; Louis Lang, D-Skokie; Cynthia Soto,
D-Chicago; Deborah Graham, D-Chicago; and Sen. Kimberly Lightford,
D-Maywood. Fulfilling the governor's goal of providing annual
increases, the legislation will include annual increases for three
years: to $7.75 in July 2008, $8.00 in July 2009 and $8.25 in 2010.
The legislation goes into effect July 1, 2007.
"People working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year earning minimum
wage bring home just $13,000. That's just not enough," Blagojevich
said. "Raising the minimum wage will make it a little easier for
these families to get by. It means more than $2,080 a year in extra
wages next year for workers to meet the obligations of daily life. I
would like to thank members of the General Assembly for approving
this increase, and I look forward to signing it."
"Today, the Illinois General affirmed a principle as old as the
Bible -- everyone deserves a decent day's pay for a hard day's
work," said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. "In our state, we believe that men
and women who work hard should earn enough money to provide for
themselves and their families. This bill is an important step toward
that goal."
"As legislators we cannot let the hardworking families of
Illinois be left behind," said Lightford, Senate bill sponsor. "As
prices increase, it becomes harder and harder in live off a minimum
wage salary. I am pleased to report that the Senate moved swiftly in
passing Governor Blagojevich's progressive minimum wage increase."
In October, when they first announced the proposed minimum wage
bill, Blagojevich, Quinn and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley were
joined by members of the Illinois General Assembly, labor leaders
and other leaders in the fight for working families.
"This bill will ensure that working families in Illinois are able
to keep up with cost of living increases, and I am thankful my
colleagues in the Senate took this swift action," said Colvin,
sponsor of the legislation.
"For millions for families throughout the state, making ends meet
is becoming more and more difficult as costs for things like
groceries increase," said McKeon, chairman of the House Labor
Committee and a chief so-sponsor of the legislation. "With this
bill, people earning the minimum wage will see their pay increase
not once, but annually."
"I am pleased my colleagues in the Senate voted to support this
important bill that will help millions of Illinois parents provide
for their children," said Lang, a chief co-sponsor of the
legislation. Increasing the minimum wage over time just makes
sense."
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 "So many hardworking people in Illinois are living paycheck to
paycheck, struggling to make ends meet with the current minimum
wage," said Soto, a chief co-sponsor of the legislation. "The House
and Senate recognizes the importance of ensuring that parents need
not choose between providing food or paying bills."
"This bill will make life better for thousands of working people
by helping them keep up with cost of living increases," said Graham,
a chief co-sponsor of the legislation. "I would like to thank the
Senate for passing this important bill."
"Workers who care for our young and those who care for our
seniors, workers who clean the buildings in the middle of the night
and those who change the beds in the hotels -- all of these
hardworking people and many more deserve a raise, one that will be
indexed to insure a steady, reliable wage for their families," said
AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere.
"Working people in Illinois and throughout the country are seeing
the buying power of their wages decrease while they work harder and
are more productive than ever," said Tom Balanoff, president of the
Service Employees International Union. "In raising the minimum wage,
the governor and the Illinois General Assembly have shown that they
are willing to stand with these working people and do what is within
the state government's power to do to improve their lives."
Blagojevich fought for and signed legislation raising the minimum
wage in 2003 from the federal level of $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an
hour (the federal minimum wage remains at $5.15). When the final
rate of $8.25 per hour takes effect in 2010, that will mean
Blagojevich has helped boost pay for minimum wage workers in
Illinois by $3.10 per hour, or 60 percent. This makes Illinois a
national leader in wages for workers.
Despite predictions from opponents of the minimum wage that its
increase would harm the economy, since the higher wage took effect,
Illinois has added more than 152,000 new jobs since January 2004,
which is more than any state in the Midwest, according to the
Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois has led the nation in
job growth twice this year, April and July, which has never happened
before in recorded history, and has been named by Site Selection
magazine as the third-best state in the nation for attracting new
and expanded corporate facilities. Inc. magazine recently named
Blagojevich as the second-best governor in the nation for fiscal
policy (Blagojevich was also named the top governor for health care
policy). In addition, the unemployment rate has fallen from 6.7
percent in January 2003, when the fight for the higher minimum wage
began, to 4.1 percent today, which is the state's lowest level on
record.
[News release from the governor's office] |
