Cook County minimum wage law 'satisfying' for low-wage worker

At 22 years old, Ryan Foster has always considered himself a hard worker when it comes to making money to sustain himself.

For years, he worked minimum and low-wage jobs - most recently at Jimmy John's - to help him pay off student loans and fund various other expenses. He's never minded working, he said, and in every position he held, he would strive to be a diligent employee.

But Foster, who lives with his parents in Oak Lawn, says Illinois' minimum wage of $8.25 per hour isn't usually enough to make ends meet. At that wage, he says, a full-time employee is below the poverty line, making it difficult for workers to support themselves and their families.

Thanks largely to the influence of a friend, Foster joined the fight for raising the Cook County minimum wage to $13 per hour by 2020. That ordinance, along with another that requires paid sick days, was passed last October.

"For people to be making minimum wage and still be considered poor and still need government assistance - that's what fuels me to do what I do," Foster said. "You feel like you achieved something when (the ordinances) were passed. It was really satisfying."

Foster recently left his job at Jimmy John's in Hickory Hills, where he started four years ago as a regular employee making $8.50 per hour. He eventually became a manager, in addition to working in the store and as a driver.

Before he resigned, Foster said, he was working long hours and was getting paid about $10.25 - less than $2 more per hour than when he started. Meanwhile, he said, the costs of school, loan interest and other expenses were rising.

Foster earned his associate degree from Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Heights before taking a semester off to work the manager job. He plans to take online courses next semester and begin studying computer science at Loyola University in January.

Meanwhile, Foster is driving for Lyft and hoping to get a job at a dental office.

In Foster's eyes, gradually raising the minimum wage will help students and young adults like himself be more successful as they pursue higher education degrees, start careers and venture out on their own. But he said it will also benefit older adults who are working several minimum wage jobs while trying to support families.

"There are people who aren't given equal opportunities. It's just hard for them to get out of that hole," Foster said. "I fight for them, too."