July 1st came and went virtually unnoticed. If it seemed like just another hot (very hot) summer day, you are mistaken. The first of July was an important--and sad--day for low-wage workers across the state because it marked the second anniversary of the last time that they received a wage increase. That's right: Illinois workers making minimum wage got a $.25 an hour increase on July 1, 2010, bringing the minimum wage to $8.25, but there's been no increase since then.
For those who think $8.25 an hour is "not bad," think again. A minimum wage worker who works 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year earns $16,500. If that employee works 52 weeks a year, taking no time off for vacation, sick leave, or family emergency, she earns $17,160. Unfortunately, many minimum wage workers do not have the opportunity to work a full 40 hours a week, and, despite the slow economy, the buying power of the $8.25 an hour wage is declining a bit each year.
You might think that most minimum wage workers are teenagers who work seasonally or during their after-school hours, but data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC tell us that 83% of minimum wage workers in Illinois are supporting families. That brings us to a hard fact: most families of minimum wage workers are living in poverty. The federal poverty level for a family of three is $17, 568; for a family of four, the poverty level is $22,113.
So, what can we do about the plight of minimum wage workers in Illinois? We have a bill--SB 1565--which passed out of the Senate Executive Committee in May 2012, and we're working to build public support to prepare for the fall Veto Session of the General Assembly. You can help! Join PCG, Raise Illinois (the minimum wage coalition) and Stand Up Chicago at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24th at the Thompson Center (Clark and Randolph in the Chicago Loop) for a rally and march to advocate for a minimum wage increase.
Why July 24th? That's the third anniversary of the last time the federal minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) was increased. So maybe we didn't do very much for minimum wage workers on July 1st, but now we have another chance. See you on the 24th.
Laura Dean F. Friedrich
For those who think $8.25 an hour is "not bad," think again. A minimum wage worker who works 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year earns $16,500. If that employee works 52 weeks a year, taking no time off for vacation, sick leave, or family emergency, she earns $17,160. Unfortunately, many minimum wage workers do not have the opportunity to work a full 40 hours a week, and, despite the slow economy, the buying power of the $8.25 an hour wage is declining a bit each year.
You might think that most minimum wage workers are teenagers who work seasonally or during their after-school hours, but data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC tell us that 83% of minimum wage workers in Illinois are supporting families. That brings us to a hard fact: most families of minimum wage workers are living in poverty. The federal poverty level for a family of three is $17, 568; for a family of four, the poverty level is $22,113.
So, what can we do about the plight of minimum wage workers in Illinois? We have a bill--SB 1565--which passed out of the Senate Executive Committee in May 2012, and we're working to build public support to prepare for the fall Veto Session of the General Assembly. You can help! Join PCG, Raise Illinois (the minimum wage coalition) and Stand Up Chicago at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24th at the Thompson Center (Clark and Randolph in the Chicago Loop) for a rally and march to advocate for a minimum wage increase.
Why July 24th? That's the third anniversary of the last time the federal minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) was increased. So maybe we didn't do very much for minimum wage workers on July 1st, but now we have another chance. See you on the 24th.
Laura Dean F. Friedrich
