EAST MOLINE, Ill — The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce is asking Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to temporarily pause the minimum wage increase set for Jan. 1. The increase will bring the state's minimum wage up from $10 and hour to $11, and would be the third increase to the minimum wage in the past year.
According to chamber President and CEO, Paul Rumler, the increase is just coming at a bad time, as many of the businesses who employ minimum wage workers - including restaurants, hospitality and retail - are struggling from the pandemic.
"What we've seen over the last year is a 33% increase to the minimum wage here in Illinois at the exact time that our community's been ravaged by Covid-19," he said.
For many small businesses, income and revenue has been down dramatically this year. The chamber is worried that adding on another cost, of higher paychecks, might be the straw that forces several local businesses under.
"Adding more cost to that expense is not helping the employees who are relying on that job for a paycheck if it puts that business out of business, or if it puts them in a position where they can't maintain their employee base," Rumler said. "We can always revisit this issue later on in 2021. But I'd say at least a six month pause so that way we can get through a vaccine rollout and make sure businesses can stabilize their operations."
The chamber says they're also advocating for increased aid to the workers themselves, through more state and federal relief.
"Times are tough right now, and every dollar, every penny, matters to families. So if we look at this issue, if businesses are having trouble bringing in revenue, they're also having trouble paying their workers."
But while many local businesses have been feeling the strain, Smokey's Country Diner in East Moline says they don't have a problem increasing their employees wages - even while business has been down.
"I've always paid over minimum wage my whole life and I've been at this for 45 years," said owner Gary Schmooke. "They do deserve it. They have bills just like I do. Maybe a little bit more, maybe a little bit less, I don't know. But they do deserve a raise."
Schmooke is now trying to sell his little diner, after almost half a century in the business. He'll be 70 on his next birthday, and he says it's time to retire. But even with selling, in the middle of a pandemic, he says making sure his workers have enough money to bring home is a priority.
"The numbers will be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be back, we just gotta wait," he said. "It's just making it till then."