Kudos to Governor Blagojevich. It's not enough (we need $8/hr), but I got trapped in that minimum wage deal for several years, and for those trapped like I was, it will be a blessing. It might also help a few of them find their way out of it.

I'm a 26 year old law student, and I would benefit greatly by an incease in the minimum wage. I work a part time job at a liquor store in addition to going to school full time. I make $5.50/hour, which is a pittance. It's not so bad for me... I'm getting an education, which means that I won't have to work minimum wage for much longer. Others aren't so lucky. I'm glad you've decided to put the spotlight on the minimum wage issue. I'll link to you tomorrow from my own humble blog. Right now, it's WAY past my bedtime.

I go to school, and work full time for six dollars an hour. I work for a small buisness. The owner of my store is already raising prices, not hiring, and shortening the hours that I receive. This is to compensate for the higher minimum wage that is coming. This does not help me.

I am a small restraunt owner in west central Illinois. With the minimum wage being raised so much so quickly, I do not believe I will be able to raise prices enough to counter wage increse without losing customers. I believe in higher wages but thousands of small business like mine will not survive the next increase!

I work for the Goldplate Program in DuQuoin,Il., Perry County, and have for six years now. I started at $5.00 an hour and have gained only 90 cents in this six yrs. I work very hard at my job with up to three clients a day. Some have made the comment that the minimun wage increase will not affect the caregivers of The Goldplate Program. If so, why???? And I would like to know what the problem is with us getting our mileage checks which is about 8 or 9 months behind. We take the people shopping or to Doctors appointments and the gas is out of our own pockets. This is hard when you make a small $5.90 an hour, but we cannot refuse to take the clients. When will we be compensated for our mileage and when will we make a decent wage for the work we do??

I've been working at the movie theatre for a year now, and I started off at 4.65, and after three months, got raised to 5.15. And I finally got my raise, after one whole year, to 5.30. Well, when minimum wage went up to 5.50, I was sad to find out that it only applied to 18 year olds, and I will not turn 18 until May. I am one of the best employees there, and I ironically trained all the people over 18, but that does not matter since the company will not raise my pay to minimum wage, or anyone else's who is not 18.

I'm a server in a restaurant, the only time we get raises is when minimum wage goes up. I make 3.30 an hour plus tips.Our wages wouldn't matter so much if everyone who went out to eat knew or even cared how low our wages are.

what is the minimum wage right now in illinois ?

what is the minimum wage right now in illinois ?

Come on people! Get a grip. If you don't like your minimum wage job, find a job that will pay more!

Own a summer pool open for three months. Employees all highschool age. Happy to have a summer job at a pool with all the perks. In addition to the minimum wage increases for a part time business/licenses/overhead/taxes....not worth staying open. This will elimimate approx.
40 kids from summer employment. Not a matter of life or death for them...just something to do to earn a little money in the summer. Not a family/life or death matter. The summer based employers are being killed with licenses and min wage increases/restrictions, etc right down to having to put licenses in frames. How excessive.
Always have given a substantial raise to those who earned it. things are really getting out of hand. If we go out of business, 40 kids loose employment in summer, the swim team and dive team consisting of 58 dif. aged children will not be able to dive or swim in the summer (a positive thing for them), and once again, we create a monopoly and a no choice situation. I plan to unite the summer businesses and contact all involved to try to resolve this situation and keep our kids working in the summer. Betty Daly

Own a summer pool open for three months. Employees all highschool age. Happy to have a summer job at a pool with all the perks. In addition to the minimum wage increases for a part time business/licenses/overhead/taxes....not worth staying open. This will elimimate approx.
40 kids from summer employment. Not a matter of life or death for them...just something to do to earn a little money in the summer. Not a family/life or death matter. The summer based employers are being killed with licenses and min wage increases/restrictions, etc right down to having to put licenses in frames. How excessive.
Always have given a substantial raise to those who earned it. things are really getting out of hand. If we go out of business, 40 kids loose employment in summer, the swim team and dive team consisting of 58 dif. aged children will not be able to dive or swim in the summer (a positive thing for them), and once again, we create a monopoly and a no choice situation. I plan to unite the summer businesses and contact all involved to try to resolve this situation and keep our kids working in the summer. Betty Daly

Own a summer pool open for three months. Employees all highschool age. Happy to have a summer job at a pool with all the perks. In addition to the minimum wage increases for a part time business/licenses/overhead/taxes....not worth staying open. This will elimimate approx.
40 kids from summer employment. Not a matter of life or death for them...just something to do to earn a little money in the summer. Not a family/life or death matter. The summer based employers are being killed with licenses and min wage increases/restrictions, etc right down to having to put licenses in frames. How excessive.
Always have given a substantial raise to those who earned it. things are really getting out of hand. If we go out of business, 40 kids loose employment in summer, the swim team and dive team consisting of 58 dif. aged children will not be able to dive or swim in the summer (a positive thing for them), and once again, we create a monopoly and a no choice situation. I plan to unite the summer businesses and contact all involved to try to resolve this situation and keep our kids working in the summer. Betty Daly

Own a summer pool open for three months. Employees all highschool age. Happy to have a summer job at a pool with all the perks. In addition to the minimum wage increases for a part time business/licenses/overhead/taxes....not worth staying open. This will elimimate approx.
40 kids from summer employment. Not a matter of life or death for them...just something to do to earn a little money in the summer. Not a family/life or death matter. The summer based employers are being killed with licenses and min wage increases/restrictions, etc right down to having to put licenses in frames. How excessive.
Always have given a substantial raise to those who earned it. things are really getting out of hand. If we go out of business, 40 kids loose employment in summer, the swim team and dive team consisting of 58 dif. aged children will not be able to dive or swim in the summer (a positive thing for them), and once again, we create a monopoly and a no choice situation. I plan to unite the summer businesses and contact all involved to try to resolve this situation and keep our kids working in the summer. Betty Daly

RE: EPI

"JUST HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EARNING A FEW EXTRA BUCKS". Not a very well thought out comment. To generalize and make that comment is narrow thinking and not based on fact. How many "summer" business are there in Illinois that employ part time summer highshool & college students? Find out, and get your facts and graphs straight.You cannot lump everyone together in one package. "I refute your canard statement." If these summer business are not given some slack or at least consideration, they will all go out of business. THEN where will the highschool and college students be? Out of job...right? One and one equals two. Betty DAly

RE: EPI

"JUST HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EARNING A FEW EXTRA BUCKS". Not a very well thought out comment. To generalize and make that comment is narrow thinking and not based on fact. How many "summer" business are there in Illinois that employ part time summer highshool & college students? Find out, and get your facts and graphs straight.You cannot lump everyone together in one package. "I refute your canard statement." If these summer business are not given some slack or at least consideration, they will all go out of business. THEN where will the highschool and college students be? Out of job...right? One and one equals two. Betty DAly

ok i work at dairy queen (and ive tried to get a better higher paying job mr David Kreissler) and started at minimum wage (5.15) and worked there for a year got a raise, then minimum wage went up and i was again making minimum wage, now ive been there for 2 years and as long as minimum wage keeps going up ill keep losing my raises. i am all for it going up cause i love having the money, but this shows that everything you do does have consequences.