With Minimum Wage Soon Rising To $10 In Chicago, Activists Continue Push For $15 An Hour
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ahead of Wednesday's City Council meeting, activists were celebrating the looming rise in the minimum wage in Chicago.
Adeline Bracy, a leader with Action Now, said organizations like hers are celebrating that, on July 1, the minimum wage in Chicago will increase from $8.25 an hour to $10 an hour. That's just the first step of a gradual increase to $13 an hour by July 2019.
Action Now was among the community groups that urged a mayoral task force to raise the minimum wage in Chicago to $15 an hour, and while the city's minimum wage ordinance falls short of that goal, Bracy said activists will continue their fight.
"It's not the $15 that we voted for, and we're fighting for, but it's a big step in the right direction," she said.
Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) and John Arena (45th) were among council members who said they'll push to accelerate the increases in the minimum wage, and reach the goal of $15 an hour.