DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A "dog's" life isn't so bad for Dan Henchel.
The vice-president of University Dogs says serving up hot dogs and fresh-cut fries is a daily passion.
"I feel like I'm just hanging out making food for my friends sometimes," Henchel said.
But he says that passion may soon be threatened.
Senate Bill 1 aims to raise the Illinois minimum wage to $15/hr by 2025. Along the way, wages would gradually increase each year — a move some unions say will help workers.
"Income inequality and wage stagnation pose serious threats to our economy," said Michael Carrigan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. "The General Assembly and governor's office can and should begin to reverse this cycle by increasing the wages broadly across the bottom of the workforce."
The bill would also allow for tax breaks to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees and would also cap wages for under-18 workers at $13/hr.
But for Henchel, that's not enough to justify the added costs.
"Our cost of goods sold is going to increase. Our taxes are going to go up — which in turn, our prices are going to go up," Henchel said. "[We would have to] close our doors or we're not going to have any employees."
The bill passed out of the Illinois Senate's executive committee 13-6 on a party line vote. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
