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Some minimum-wage earners not happy
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| Contributor | CBlock941 |
| Last Edited | CBlock941 Jul 06, 2007 01:18pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - State Journal-Register: Springfield, IL |
| News Date | Friday, July 6, 2007 07:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | While most people would be excited about a pay increase, Gretchen Lesle is worried a $1-per-hour bump in Illinois' minimum wage could come back to haunt her in the form of higher prices.
"I thought the minimum wage was fine where it was," said Lesle, a 19-year-old Chatham resident who works at Knight's Action Park and Caribbean Adventure. "I'm afraid prices are going to go up - especially since I'm going off to college and I'm probably going to be broke."
Approved by the legislature late last year, the state's minimum wage increased from $6.50 per hour to $7.50 per hour July 1.
During the next three years, it will increase 25 cents per hour annually, bringing it to $8.25 per hour by 2010.
The federal minimum wage is $5.15 per hour.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who pushed for the increase, and other supporters say it will benefit the 650,000 Illinoisans earning minimum wage, especially those trying to raise children.
This is the second minimum-wage hike the governor has ushered through the legislature. The first increase raised Illinois' minimum wage from $5.15 to $5.50 in 2004, and to $6.50 in 2005.
Though she may be in the minority among minimum-wage workers, Lesle, who works in the golf area at Knight's, is not alone in her concerns about inflation. |
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