Chamber requests delay of Illinois’ Jan. 1 minimum wage increase

As Quad Cities businesses continue to face daunting challenges related to COVID-19, the State of Illinois is set to continue with the scheduled Jan. 1 minimum wage increase from $10 to $11 an hour. The increase comes as many small businesses have shut their doors or are facing significant financial difficulties related to the pandemic. The Quad Cities Chamber is requesting the scheduled minimum wage increase be delayed so Illinois-based businesses, already strapped with decreased revenues and new expenses related to COVID-19, are not further negatively impacted by a minimum wage increase.
 
“In the Quad Cities, businesses have already been hit the hard by COVID-19 mitigations. Asking our Illinois small businesses to take on a third minimum wage increase in a year, especially as they continue to navigate an economy dampened by COVID-19, forces them into an unfeasible, no-win situation,” Chamber President & CEO Paul Rumler said. “As the business voice serving the entire bi-state Quad-Cities region, the Chamber is worried about the impact this increase will have not only on our small and medium-sized businesses in Illinois but on our region as a whole as we strive for a balanced bi-state economic recovery from COVID-19. The Quad Cities Chamber joins the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Retail Merchants Association in asking Gov. Pritzker to push back the scheduled increase as our businesses try to recover.”