To: The Illinois State House and The Illinois State Senate

Illinois General Assembly: The Voters Have Spoken! Vote Now To Raise The Minimum Wage!

Over 67% of Illinois voters just voted to raise the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour. Lawmakers reconvened on November 19th, and we urge them to respond to the will of the people by passing HB 3718 and SB 68 and raising the wage now.

Why is this important?

In the recent November 4 elections, voters across the state of Illinois were asked to vote yes or no on whether the state should raise its minimum wage. This referendum passed with a huge mandate: 67% of voters—over 2 million Illinoisans—approved it. Republican and Democratic areas—urban, suburban, and rural—saw overwhelming majorities of support. The question received a majority of yes votes in almost every one of the state’s 118 House districts.

Members of the General Assembly: The people of this state have spoken. We need a higher minimum wage, and we need it now.

If we raise the wage to $10 an hour, over 1 million working people will get a raise. They cannot wait. Over 100,000 working single parents will get a raise. They cannot wait. One in four African-American workers, one in three Latino workers in our state will get a raise. They cannot wait another day for a paycheck they can actually live on.

The will of the people is clear. We urge you to do your job, to serve your constituents, to call a vote on HB 3718 and SB 68 during this upcoming veto session.