CHICAGO (AP) - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn have joined labor unions and workers to push for raising the minimum wage.
The Democratic lawmakers spoke Monday in Chicago.
Durbin says the U.S. Senate could vote this week to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour. He says he supports the measure, which is unlikely to get a vote in the Republican-controlled House.
Durbin says people who go to work every day shouldn’t live in poverty.
Quinn is pushing a separate measure to raise Illinois’ minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 per hour. He says it would stimulate the economy by putting more cash in workers’ pockets.
Opponents say hiking the minimum wage will force companies to lay off workers, adding to Illinois’ already high unemployment.
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