After criticism from Governor Quinn and the press, Bill Brady has changed his mind on his proposal to lower the state's minimum wage. Brady has flipped on the issue, saying that “we should allow the federal minimum wage to catch up to the state minimum wage,” rather than lowering it to $7.25 an hour. Speaking at the City Club of Chicago yesterday, Brady implied that the state minimum should be frozen until the federal minimum wage catches up to $8.25 an hour. Brady then went on to target state employee pensions, saying that the state should switch to a completely employee funded 401K system. He also defended his votes against state mandates that health insurance plans cover mammograms, pap smears and contraceptives. Citing his own business experience, Brady said he couldn’t afford to provide health care for his employees but it worked out because they “had a spouse that worked at a place that gave it to them.” Which goes for everyone in the state, right? ? more ›

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady would like to see Illinois’ minimum wage drop to federal levels, according to remarks he made after a campaign appearance last week. The minimum wage in Illinois, currently $8.00 an hour, is set to increase to $8.25 an hour on July 1st. Brady however, would rather see it match the federal level at $7.25. Brady told reporters “For the state of Illinois to come in and micromanage wages above the federal minimum wage is a mistake” and went on to say that Illinois is losing jobs “because private sector business investments (are) going to other states.” more ›

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna, son of millionaire business executive Andrew McKenna, feels that $8.00 an hour is just too much for minimum wage workers. According to the Daily Herald, cutting minimum wage is becoming a higher priority for some Republican candidates. In an interview with WBBM, McKenna called it a "problem" that Illinois minimum wage workers garner almost $1.00 more per hour than the federal rate. more ›

The national minimum wage standard is set to increase from $6.55/hour to $7.25/hour on July 24. But Illinois workers who earn minimum wage will see a larger increase sooner than that. State laws have the state minimum wage set to hit $8.00/hour starting tomorrow. It's the second step up in a three-step process that concludes next July when the state minimum wage will reach $8.25/hour. [Sun-Times] more ›