The minimum wage in Illinois increased Thursday at the same time the Cook County sales tax was rolled back giving workers a break during an economic downturn.
The minimum wage in Illinois increased Thursday at the same time the Cook County sales tax was rolled back giving workers a break during an economic downturn. Employers are now required by law to pay employees $8.25 per hour, a 25-cents increase as part of three-year increase, which began in 2007 when minimum wage rose to $7.50 per hour, said Catherine Shannon, director of the Illinois Department of Labor. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that focuses on the economic condition of low- and middle-income Americans and their families, the increase will help over 409,000 workers tackle the skyrocketing cost of living and to afford better, basic necessities, such as food, housing and childcare. Workers under age 18 may be paid 50 cents less per hour and tip credits may be up to but not to exceed 40 percent of the minimum wage. In Illinois, 80 percent of minimum wage workers are adults and nearly 60 percent are women, according to the institute. Enforcement of the new minimum wage will be aggressive, Shannon said. Workers who are not being paid minimum wage should call the IDOL to file a complaint at 800-478-3998. The slight increase in minimum wage is expected to stretch further for those workers living in Cook County in light of the sales tax dropping half a percentage point to 1.25 percent from 1.75 percent, which took effect July 1. As a result of the reduction, the overall tax rate for Cook County residents dropped from 10.25 percent to 9.75 percent and reduces the cost of a $1,000 purchase by $5. Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.