Chicago council to vote on minimum wage

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called a special city council meeting on a proposal to raise the minimum wage in the city to $13 an hour.

A workforce committee will meet Monday with the special council meeting on Tuesday.

Emanuel spokeswoman Kelley Quinn tells the Chicago Sun-Times the mayor wants to act to prevent a possible attempt by the Illinois General Assembly to pre-empt the proposal.

Legislators are scheduled to return to Springfield Tuesday. They're expected to take up a measure to raise Illinois' $8.25-per-hour minimum wage. The proposal currently being considered would increase the wage to $10 by July 1 and $11 per hour by 2017.

Opponents have said that hiking the minimum wage would force companies to lay off workers and add to unemployment.