|
"A person working 40
hours a week, 52 weeks a year should not live in poverty. You cannot
raise a family, you cannot put food on the table, you cannot put
shoes on your children's feet on $10,712 a year. Raising the minimum
wage at least gives families a fighting chance," Blagojevich told
the crowd.
Gov. Blagojevich
initiated legislation earlier in the spring legislative session that
would increase the minimum wage by $1.35, to $6.50 an hour.
He argued that the
value of the minimum wage has steadily decreased over the past three
decades because inflation and the cost of living have outpaced
increases in the minimum wage level. At the current rate of $5.15
per hour, a full-time worker earning the minimum wage has a pre-tax
annual gross income of $10,712 -- 55 percent of the 2002 federal
poverty level for a family of four ($18,244) -- and also falls short
of the threshold for a family with a single parent and one child
($12,400).
"The minimum wage
today buys about a third less than it did a quarter-century ago,"
said the governor. "If the minimum wage had been allowed to keep
pace with increased worker productivity, it would be $13.80 today.
What we're asking for -- $6.50 -- is modest by comparison."
Blagojevich
illustrated the need for the increase by giving real-life examples
of hardworking individuals who are struggling to make ends meet on
$5.15 an hour, the current minimum wage. Alvita Brown, who attended
the rally, works 30 to 40 hours a week at McDonald's for $5.15 an
hour. Even though she works full time, Brown relies on food stamps
to feed her 7- and 9-year-old daughters.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
"We should do
whatever we can to make sure working people earn enough to live,"
said Margaret Blackshere, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. "The
proposal, strongly backed by the governor, labor and community
groups, is an important step in helping the lowest wage earners
build more economic independence."
The benefits of
raising the minimum wage reach beyond the families of workers
earning the minimum wage. According to a 2003 University of Illinois
study, the higher wage could mean as much as $900 million in
additional sales for Illinois businesses. With an expected ripple
effect of wage increases among those currently earning between $6.50
and $7.50 an hour, the additional sales could total as much as $1.2
billion.
"Here's the bottom
line: If people are paid more, not only are they better equipped to
care for their families, they have more money to spend in their
communities," said Robert Blackwell, president and CEO of Electronic
Knowledge Interchange. "A minimum wage increase is good for families
and it's good for businesses."
The minimum wage
legislation, Senate Bill 600, is awaiting approval from the full
Senate. If it's passed by both chambers and signed by Gov.
Blagojevich, Illinois will join 11 other states and the District of
Columbia that have a minimum wage higher than the federal standard.
The other states are Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware,
Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and
Washington.
"There's dignity in work, and every kind
of work deserves a dignified wage. It is time we raise the minimum
wage," the governor concluded.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release] |
