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Senate hopefuls at odds on minimum wage

The two candidates for U.S. senator both agree on higher minimum wages but with some big differences on who should receive them.

At an event Thursday at the Schaumburg Ikea, Sen. Dick Durbin applauded the chain's move to raise its U.S. employees' earnings from $9.12 an hour to $10.48 starting Jan. 1.

"Many companies are coming to the conclusion when workers are paid a good wage, they work harder, the company does better and they are rewarded for the work they are doing," Durbin said.

Durbin, facing an election battle against state Sen. Jim Oberweis, supports the federal government's move to pay contract service and construction employees a minimum wage of $10.10 an hour.

"I hope on a national basis we can strive to match Ikea," Durbin said.

Oberweis, a Sugar Grove Republican, introduced a bill this year to raise Illinois' minimum wage for workers age 26 and older to $10 by Jan. 1, 2017, but it languished in a Senate committee and never saw the light of day, he said.

Oberweis envisioned a gradual rollout, increasing Illinois' current $8.25 an hour wage to $9 on Jan. 1, 2015, then to $9.50 on Jan. 1, 2016.

"It makes more sense than a flat, across-the-board thing," Oberweis said. He said it's fair for young people who need more training and have less experience to earn less than older workers.

"What's wrong with having a differential - so people in the workforce for a while, who have those skills, receive a bit-higher minimum wage?" he said.

Oberweis cited a Congressional Budget Office study that found a minimum wage of $10.10 could result in 500,000 fewer jobs, although it would lift about 900,000 people out of poverty.

"If you get a raise, it's a good deal," Oberweis said. "If you lose your job, it's not such a good deal."

Durbin thinks "putting more money into workers' pockets will enrich the economy."

There is an advisory referendum on the November ballot on whether to increase Illinois' minimum wage to $10.

Jim Oberweis
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