Thousands of workers in Illinois should earn a "livable wage," not a minimum wage. That was the message Tuesday at news conferences organized by the Raise Illinois coalition around the state.
The state minimum is now $8.25 an hour, and officials are likely to debate raising the minimum wage to $10.65 an hour.
Mike Malmstrom is director of Bridging the Gap for Homeless Veterans. He says many people who leave the military can only find minimum wage jobs.
"The bad part about that is if they are alone, it's still hard for them at eight-and-a-quarter an hour to try to pay rent, buy gas, make sure they have car insurance, have a vehicle and try to survive on top of that."
The state bill could block the City of Chicago from raising its wage even higher - depending on how the bill is written. Democratic State Senator Kimberly Lightford says it’s too soon to say if the proposal would tie the city’s hands.
"I’m encouraged just to raise the wage across the state overall and if the City of Chicago has enough support to raise it even higher, I would support that."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is requiring contractors with the City of Chicago to pay their employees at least 13 dollars an hour.
Earlier this month, 67 percent of Illinois voters supported an advisory referendum on raising the minimum wage. Backers call that a "mandate" for action by the General Assembly.
Editor's Note: WBEZ and WVIK contributed to this story.
