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New Minimum Wage Starting Thursday
Illinois has a new minimum wage starting Thursday. It has been part of the debate in the governor's race for the last few days, and now it is here -- $8.25 an hour, up from $8.

Gov. Pat Quinn says it's a small sacrifice for small businesses, but it helps them by helping the economy. "When you pay a decent wage, those hard-working people don't admire the money in a bank vault," he said. "They go out and spend the money in our economy. They are going to support their families, and that's a good way to help the Illinois economy keep moving."

The minimum wage was $5.15 when Quinn took office as lieutenant governor in 2003. Legislation signed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2006 set up a series of increases, from $6.50 to $7.50 on July 1, 2007, with additional increases of 25 cents a year in 2008, 2009 and this year. There are no further increases on the books.

The governor says the minimum wage should be automatically indexed to the cost of living.

(Illinois Radio Network)
06 30 10 by Newsroom
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