Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a law that stepped up the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour in the state within five years.
Rauner stated that an increase of this magnitude would “hurt” the people he seeks to favor, according to a statement from his office.
The governor said helping people out of poverty is one of their priorities, but “economic theory and evidence” indicate that an increase to $ 15 per hour, from the current $ 8.25, “would be counterproductive”.
SB 81, passed before the summer recess by the state Legislature, had merited rejection by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which found the rule to be a “devastating blow” to job creation in the state.
Activists from the Fight for 15 movement showed their opposition to the veto with a “sit-in” held at the Governor’s building in downtown Chicago, where they displayed a sign that read “Rauner vetoed $ 15”, “Raunch Vet in 2018 “, Alluding to next year’s elections in which the Republican will seek his re-election.
The minimum wage in Illinois is currently $ 8.25 per hour, one dollar more than the federal rate, and by law, now vetoed, would increase gradually every year to reach $ 15 in 2022 .
In Chicago, the minimum wage is $ 11 per hour from July 1 for municipal employees, a directive that is generally followed by private companies and those with contracts with the city.
The intention in the most populated city of Illinois is to reach 13 dollars in 2019, while in the suburbs of Cook County, where it sits Chicago, that minimum would be reached a year later.
