Group wants minimum wage increase

SPRINGFIELD — A coalition of interest groups Thursday announced that they want Illinois lawmakers to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to more than $10 in the next four years.

The Illinois minimum wage is now $8.25 per hour after a series of periodic increases approved under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Illinois already has the highest minimum wage among neighboring states. Now, the group is pushing legislation that would raise the minimum wage to more than $10.65 per hour by 2014.

Sen. Kimberly Lightford, a Maywood Democrat, said low-wage workers should be remembered by lawmakers.

“Their issues and rights need to be part of the discussion,” Lightford said.

Businesses will push back hard after they already might see their profits shrink because of the income-tax rate increase.

Gov. Pat Quinn’s office said they’d review the legislation but wouldn’t commit to the idea of raising minimum wages.