On June 22, 2014, Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation placing an advisory referendum on the November 4, 2014, ballot asking if the Illinois minimum wage should be raised from $8.25 to $10 by January 1, 2015.
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Signing Legislation to Give Voters a Voice in Increasing the Minimum Wage.
The minimum wage referendum legislation was signed in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Pictured in the portrait are John Austin of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless; Gilda Brown of SEIU Healthcare; Jason Coleman of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless; Gloria Davis of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless; Anthony Edwards of Action Now; Jeanette Estrada of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council; Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr.; Ald. Toni Foulkes; Keith Kelleher of SEIU Healthcare Illinois; Alma Silva of the Resurrection Project; Antonia Terrones of the Resurrection Project; Alberta Walker of SEIU Healthcare Illinois; and Gloria Warner, the President of Action Now.
On November 4, 2014, the minimum wage referendum was approved by Illinois voters by a margin of 2,339,173 (66.7%) to 1,165,524 (33.3%).
On January 12, 2015, Gov. Quinn issued an executive order raising the Illinois minimum wage to $10 for all employees of all contractors with the State of Illinois.
View the Governor’s Office Executive Order Of Minimum Wage Requirements For State Contractors And Subcontractors.
During his tenure, Gov. Quinn signed tax relief legislation for everyday people by doubling the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit and indexing the personal income tax exemption to the cost of living.
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Signing Legislation to Boost Tax Relief for Working Families .
In the depths of the Great Recession in 2010, Gov. Quinn launched Put Illinois to Work, a subsidized employment program which put more than 30,000 unemployed men and women to work at $10 per hour in private and not-for-profit jobs.
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Announcing New ‘Put Illinois to Work’ Employment Program.
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Announcing Temporary Extension of Successful Jobs Program.
Governor Quinn also signed legislation to reform the use of payroll cards, prohibit wage theft, and prevent worker misclassification.
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Signing Legislation to Protect Workers Across Illinois .
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Signing Bill to Increase Wage Protections for Thousands of Illinois Workers.
View the Governor’s Office Press Release of Quinn Signing Laws to Protect Illinois Workers’ Paychecks.
On August 28, 2013, Gov. Quinn went to Quinn Chapel in Chicago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Dr. King spoke at Quinn Chapel and lived in Chicago in 1966.
Find our more information on the history of Quinn Chapel.