Raise Illinois Coalition Applauds Governor Quinn and Actor Martin Sheen's Call to Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Families in Illinois

CHICAGO, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Pat Quinn invited actor Martin Sheen to hold a press event today with the Raise Illinois coalition at Saint Pius church in Chicago to make the case for raising the minimum wage in Illinois. Sheen, known for his starring role as President Jed Bartlet from the West Wing television series and other acting credits, as well as his activism for various progressive causes, used his celebrity status to urge elected officials to lift the minimum wage to support working families.   

Indeed, there are an estimated 400,000 minimum wage workers in Illinois who make just $8.25 an hour, which equals $17,000 a year for those who work full-time. Behind these workers are hundreds of thousands of other people—children, spouses, aging parents—who rely on that worker for support.  In fact, 110,000 full-time Illinois workers are still living in poverty. (The federal poverty threshold for a family of three is $18,284.) 

"As a low-wage nursing home worker, it is time that we honor, reward and respect the hard and often grueling work that low-income people do every single day by raising the minimum wage," said Susana Fragoso, who works at the Grove of Evanston Rehabilitation Center and who attend the press event at Saint Pius church with the Governor and Martin Sheen. "Right now, our economy works for the wealthy and big corporations, but it's not working for working families. That's why it is critical that we raise the minimum wage to strengthen our families and our communities."

Legislation is pending in both the state House and Senate to raise the minimum wage, HB 3718, sponsored by State Representative Art Turner (9^th District) and co-sponsored by Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (25^th District), and SB 68 by State Senator Kimberly Lightford (4^th District). Lifting wages for working families continues to show strong bipartisan support.  According to a statewide survey by the National Employment Law Project, over 71% of Illinois voters support raising the minimum wage.  

"We see the impact of poverty wages in our communities every single day and it's just devastating," said Katelyn Johnson, Executive Director of Action Now and part of the Raise Illinois coalition who spoke at the event. "Poverty affects everything from how well children do at school, whether they have enough to eat, to whether they graduate from high school.  Even infant mortality is tied to poverty. This is literally an issue of life and death. It is time that our elected officials acted with the urgency that our communities demand and work to raise the minimum wage in Illinois."

Raise Illinois is led by a coalition made up of community, business, faith, and labor organizations along with minimum wage workers and supporters that are committed to fighting for a raise in the minimum wage in Illinois.  www.raiseillinois.com 

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SOURCE Raise Illinois