The protest outside of the Chamber of Commerce office in Chicago!

On June 24th, hundreds of working people in Illinois gathered at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago to demand a raise in the minimum wage!

There were similar protests held in other areas of Illinois, like Springfield and Peoria, as well as in many other cities all over the country!

June 24th was a day of action where working Americans united to take back our economy and demand a living wage for a hard day of work! Click here to see photos from rallies all over the country.

Minimum wage rally in Springfield, Illinois!

In Chicago, we marched from the Thompson Center to the Aon Center, where the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce is located. The Chamber of Commerce has consistently opposed raising the minimum wage and uses its lobbying power in Springfield to stop legislation that would help workers. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce only looks out for the interests of big business and the 1%, so we showed up demonstrate the power of the 99% and to call for them to end their fight against increasing the minimum wage.

Minimum Wage worker Denise Brown explains the difficulty of making ends meet on $8.25 an hour

Please sign one or all of the petitions below to to show our Illinois and national legislators that working Americans support raising the minimum wage!

• Illinois petition

• National petition

As a result of the June 24th Day of Action, the fight to raise the minimum wage has burst onto the headlines of major national news outlets. See some of the press coverage below:

New York Times, “Planning a March, and Envisioning a Movement, to Unite Low-Wage Workers”

MSNBC, “Top economists: Time to raise the minimum wage”

U.S. News, “An Increase in the Minimum Wage Is Long Overdue”

Forbes, “Women Need a Raise in the Minimum Wage”

Reuters, “Three years after last increase, business group calls for U.S. minimum wage hike”

Huffington Post, “Raising the Minimum Wage is Cheap and Easy”

The Washington Post, “Low-wage workers plan NYC protest march next week; part of actions planned around US”

Think Progress, “STUDY: One In Four Private Sector Workers Earn Less Than $10 An Hour”

Daily Kos, “Big companies employ two in three low-wage workers”

Huffington Post, “Want a Real Recovery? Raise the Minimum Wage”

Greg Kaufman wrote an article for The Nation called, “This Week In Poverty: Will The Poor Get Poorer In The Land Of Lincoln?” which fleshes out how low-income Illinois residents will be affected by budget cuts. He throws his support behind Senate Bill 1565, saying, “Finally, another piece of legislation in Illinois that would make a real difference in the lives of low-income people: a proposal to increase the minimum wage from $8.25 to $10.65 per hour over four years, and then index it to inflation. Tipped workers—currently paid only $4.95 per hour—would also be paid the new, full minimum wage. Currently, 100,000 state residents work full time, year-round, and still live below the poverty line, earning about $16,500 per year. The bill is expected to be voted on in committee next week. This is a critical moment for people living in poverty in Illinois—hard times could get a lot harder in the coming months. If you’re a state resident, contact your representatives—tell them to oppose reducing TANF eligibility to three years; oppose raising child care co-payments; support the supplemental appropriation to pay for TANF benefits; and support raising the minimum wage.“

There is also an eye-opening infographic that is going viral about the wage gap in America called, “15 Facts About America’s Income Inequality” by Kristy Tillman. Below are some images from the infographic:

On Tuesday, May 1st, the Decatur Jobs Council voted to support Senate Bill 1565, our bill to raise the minimum wage. As the Herald-Review reported, “the jobs council voted to support Illinois Senate Bill 1565, which would tie the state’s minimum wage to increases in the cost of living. The bill was introduced by Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester. Steve Simmons, statewide policy associate for the Chicago Jobs Council, also encouraged jobs council members to support the bill by participating in a rally day on May 17 at the state Capitol in Springfield. Darsonya Switzer, housing program director for Homeward Bound and chairwoman of the Decatur Jobs Council, said she planned to go and take some of her clients.”

Graphic from NELP report (Click to enlarge)

Last but not least, the National Employment Law Project (NELP) released a report, “Slower Wage Growth, Declining Real Wages Undermine Recovery,” that shows how working families continue to make less and less while corporations pull in record profits. The report also recommends raising the minimum wage as a way to address the decline in wages, “Prolonged, high unemployment continues to weaken wage growth for workers, undermining more vibrant economic recovery. The expansion of low-wage work and reduced earnings for those affected by the recession amplify these concerns. At the same time, even relatively weak wage growth is not reaching all workers. Raising and indexing the minimum wage begins to address the problem of low wages and boost economic recovery by stimulating demand and creating jobs.“

Rev. C.J. Hawking

In an article published in the Huffington Post, “Raise Illinois: Why I’m Going To Springfield Tomorrow,” Rev. C.J. Hawking, Executive Director of ARISE and member of the Raise Illinois coalition, explains why she is traveling to Springfield, with 67 other Raise Illinois members (20 of the clergy), to urge legislators to pass Senate Bill 1565, the bill to raise the minimum wage! At our press conference in the Captiol Rotunda, clergy will speak about why raising the minimum wage is morally just and economically sound. They will also unveil a scroll of over 200 faith leaders that have signed the Raise Illinois petition.

Hawking said, “Our various faith traditions teach us that just compensation is an essential human right for all workers and, as faith leaders, we believe that God calls us to share a vision of economic equality. This vision includes a wage rate that acknowledges the dignity of the workers, all of whom have been created in the image of God…. We recognize that some might say, ‘Now is not the time. This will stifle economic growth for the Illinois. This will increase our unemployment rate.’ Indeed, these are troubled economic times — making this precisely the right time to raise the minimum wage. Low-income families will spend that additional income on basic necessities in their local communities, thereby stimulating the economy, creating more jobs, and assisting in the overall economic recovery.”