THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Pride at Work Chicago has approximately thirty members and is part of the national organization, Pride at Work, which is a constituency group of the AFL-CIO. In addition to other functions, the local chapter does political work on city, state, and national legislative issues, including strongly supporting legislation to raise the minimum wage in Illinois. Pride at Work Chicago issued the following statement:

"LGBTQ persons exist in every type of job and every level of education, income, and opportunity. There are both wealthy and poor LGBTQ people, and they live their lives with varying levels of visibility, or being "out". Yet LGBTQ persons have higher rates of poverty and unemployment than non-LGBTQ people. That rate is even higher for LGBTQ persons of color. Transgender people suffer the most, with rates of poverty four times higher than the general population.

"This means that any vote to raise the minimum wage in Illinois has a positive effect on LGBTQ people and their families.

"Illinois has been on a trajectory of poverty and decline since the early 2000s. In that time, the income of low-wage earners has declined 15 percent, sliding Illinois into 9th place in terms of national income inequality.

"There is a clear and demonstrated need for lawmakers to raise the minimum wage in an effort to address the level of income inequality in our state.

"In Pride at Work Chicago, many of our members belong to a union. We have the opportunity to negotiate our wages collectively. But the majority of workers in the state do not have this ability, and for them they must look to elected officials charged with representing what is best for the citizens of our state.

"In the labor movement, we say 'an injury to one is an injury to all.' Legislators who say they care about LGBTQ persons, such as those who voted to pass marriage equality, should put forth every effort now to ensure that a raise in minimum wage is passed during the current veto session.

For the LGBTQ community, the stakes are much higher."