FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2017
CHICAGO- Following is the statement of Emma Tai, Executive Director of United Working Families following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 81, legislation to raise the minimum wage in Illinois to $15 by 2022.
"Over the past thirty years, the income gap between the 1% and the rest of us has doubled and today Governor Rauner widen that gap by vetoing SB 81. At a time when Chicago’s African-American unemployment rates are on par with Great Depression, we need political leadership that will stand up for good jobs and living wages, not more padding of corporate profit. Our working families will only prosper when they have access to jobs that pay a minimum wage. Today, he vetoed the path forward for the 2.3 million Illinois workers, who would have benefited from Senate Bill 81.”
“The Illinois minimum wage has remained at $8.25 since 2010, while the cost of living continues to escalate. Our working families need leadership that will advocate on their behalf not veto them. In 2018 it is imperative that Illinois voters elect someone, who governs for the 99%, not just the 1%.”
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United Working Families is an independent political organization by and for the 99%, established in 2014 by the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Healthcare, Action Now, and Grassroots Illinois Action.
