Demonstrators call for minimum wage increase in Illinois

A bill has been introduced in the Illinois Senate to raise the minimum wage over the next four years to $10.65. (WJBC File Photo)

The state still needs an increase in the minimum wage, according to demonstrators who took to the streets of Chicago.

A group called Action Now marched up and down Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, known for its plethora of stores, demanding that employers along the Magnificent Mile pay workers more.

The demonstration comes after state lawmakers left Springfield for the summer without making any change to the state’s minimum wage of $8.25 an hour.

“We cannot just survive off of that,” said Action Now organizer Charles Brown, “especially with the bankers and everybody getting those big million-dollar bonuses and so forth.”

Action Now is calling on minimum wage employers across the state to pay $10 per hour. They are also calling on state lawmakers to take up a Senate bill that would increase the minimum wage over the next four years to $10.65.