By AP/KWMU
Springfield, Ill. – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is expected to sign a minimum wage increase into law.
The Illinois General Assembly voted to raise the wage to $7.50 an hour; a $1 dollars increase.
Supporters say more than 300-thousand workers will get a salary boost. But Republican Senator Dale Righter of Mattoon says businesses wind up bearing the brunt of the raises.
"For my employers in Illinois, they're already facing higher property tax costs, higher liability costs, higher unemployment insurance costs," Righter said. "We don't need to add more costs to them when we're trying to attract businesses and that's the reason I opposed the bill."
The measure will also raise the minimum wage annually until 2010, when it reaches $8.25 an hour.