Illinois
People rally at Illinois capitol to end subminimum wages for tipped workers
Nataki Rhodes has lived the tipped worker experience. Working for 15 years in the south suburbs of Chicago from anywhere to a barback to a waitress to a coat check, tips were a structural part of her and her son’s life depending on if the month would be hard or not.
Able to keep her head above water, eventually enough was enough. Her experience resonates with thousands of tipped workers across Illinois.
“I’ve worked all of the positions in the restaurant industry and still was able to raise my son,” Rhodes said. “It was struggle but that’s why I’m in this fight to help the next generation that they don’t have to put up with sexual harassment, have to put up with wage theft.”
Rhodes joined One Fair Wage, a nonprofit organization to end subminimum wage, at the footsteps of the capitol on March 18 pushing for living wages before tip.
Sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, House Bill 2982 amends the minimum wage law that after July 1, 2027, an employer cannot pay an employee less than the minimum wage rate in the area and can be liable to fines of up to $1,500 per day for each violation. The bill was first filed on Feb. 6, 2025.
Hernandez previously sponsored House Bill 5345 which attempted to accomplish the same goal but did not make it through the posts.
The groups are advocating for the elimination of subminimum wage in the prairie state and follow the same path as Chicago for fair employment pay.
In 2023, the Chicago City Council voted to approve “One Fair Wage,” 36 to 10, raising the minimum wage for tipped workers from $9 an hour to $15.80 before tips. The minimum is rising in increments of 8% for five years.
Outside of Chicago, Illinois tipped workers make $8.40 an hour compared to the state’s regular minimum wage of $15. Roughly 200,000 tipped workers, 63% women and 40% people of color are impacted by the subminimum wages, which create an instability of never knowing how much you could make in a week.
“This is a new era,” Rhodes said. “It’s up to me to let the young women know there is help, there are resources.”
Currently, if an employee’s wages plus tips do not equal minimum wage, the employer cuts the difference to hit that $15 an hour point.
Rhodes says she joined One Fair Wage because wage theft was the final straw for her.
“That’s what got me into standing up for my wages but that is typical of the restaurant owners not making up the wage when you don’t make it in tips,” Rhodes said. “Our opposition, the Illinois Restaurant Association, will say it’s just a few bad actors… No. If you check the labor statistics, it’s thousands of wage theft and lots go unreported.”
Opponents of the bill worry about the impact increasing wages will have for businesses and employees, and could result in more harm than help with jobs being reduced while prices go up during an era of inflation and tighter lines between red and black.
The Illinois Restaurant Association made a call-to-action March 14 about the bill saying, “This legislation is being sold as a raise for tipped workers, but it will do more harm than good, as it will fundamentally change the way all restaurants operate, hurting our smaller, family-run and minority-owned businesses the most.”
People also rallied to raise minimum wage for senior healthcare workers to $20 an hour.
State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, who is the sponsor of Senate Bill 120, addressed why she wants to raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers from $18 to $20 an hour.
“When my grandmother passed away you all want to know where my (grandmother’s) healthcare worker was? Sitting right with our family at my grandmother’s funeral,” Villanueva said. “She treated my grandmother like her grandmother and loved and cared and respected her. It is time for the state of Illinois to treat you all with love, care and respect.”
Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted
Illinois will get $1.1 million of a $45 million, 45-state settlement with money transfer app Cash App’s parent company, which was accused of misleading customers about the app’s security.
Block Inc. will face $55 million in civil penalties and also have to pay customers nationwide somewhere from $75 million to $120 million as part of the settlement, which includes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In a statement, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the settlement holds the company accountable and requires it to “change its harmful practices.”
“Block told Cash App users their money was safe and falsely implied that the app worked like a bank, with the same protections,” Raoul said. “Block was aware that fraud on its platform was rising sharply and failed to warn users, strengthen protections or provide real help to users when things went wrong.”
A company spokesperson confirmed the settlement and said the company has made “significant investments in consumer protection, customer service, and compliance.”
“We share the commitment of the attorneys general to addressing industry challenges and continue to invest in operations and technology to promote a safe and healthy financial ecosystem,” the spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Sun-Times Wednesday night.
The lawsuit accused the company of not preventing fraud, and even of having systems that made it easier to commit that fraud. Minimal identity verification allowed someone to create fake or multiple accounts, and the company had no phone support line. Instead, customers who had been defrauded often were provided by those fraudsters with fake online customer support phone numbers, the suit alleged.
As part of the agreement, the company must offer at least 13.5 hours of human-staffed phone lines per day as part of 24-hour support, as well as reimburse customers for fraudulent transactions, stop marketing the app as safe and educate users about the dangers of fraud.
SERENA, Ill. – An 8-year-old girl has died after she was struck by lightning while outside in the backyard of her home in LaSalle County over the Fourth of July weekend.
Girl killed by lightning strike
What we know:
The LaSalle County Coroner’s office said it was called to emergency department at OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital in Ottawa on the evening of July 3 after the child was brought in following the lightning strike.
A forensic autopsy was conducted on Sunday. Preliminary findings determined the girl died from injuries caused by the lightning strike.
What we don’t know:
Officials have not yet released the child’s identity.
The incident remains under investigation by the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office and the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office.
The Source: The information in this report came from the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office.
LAKE GENEVA, Wis. – We’re learning more about the victims in Friday’s tragedy on Geneva Lake.
Three kids, ages 10, seven, and six, were killed after they were trapped in the sinking boat during the severe storms.
Officials won’t comment on their identities, but FOX6 learned at least two of them were students at the Community Unit School District 200 (CUSD 200) in Wheaton, Illinois.
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The district released a statement, saying:
“On behalf of Community Unit School District 200, our deepest condolences are with the family and friends of the children who died in a tragic boating incident in Lake Geneva on July 3. We ask that you join us in supporting these families during this difficult time, and keep them in your thoughts as we all cope with this incredible loss.”
Lake Geneva Police Chief statement
What we know:
The City of Lake Geneva Police Department is opening up on the incident and the property destruction caused by the storms.
The police chief says, in part:
“In moments of tragedy, we often see the very best in people, and that has certainly been true here. While there is still healing ahead, I hope everyone knows how grateful we are for the outpouring of support shown over these past several days. It has been humbling to witness and a reminder that no one faces hardship alone when a community stands together.”
–Chief Ed Gritzner, City of Lake Geneva Police Department
The backstory:
Walworth County experienced what law enforcement described as a “sudden and severe” storm on July 3. The National Weather Service said it created a downburst with peak winds estimated at 90–100 mph.
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The storm downed hundreds of trees and power lines, damaged several buildings and created hazardous boating conditions on Geneva Lake. One boat with 10 people on board overturned and ultimately sank.
Six adults and one child were rescued from the water, while three of the kids were missing when emergency responders got there. Those three children were found and later died despite life-saving attempts.
Emergency response on Geneva Lake after storms lead to calls for water rescue on July 3, 2026.
Who was on the boat?
The latest:
The three children who died have been identified as a 10-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.
The boat operator was a 47-year-old man. The other passengers were a 75-year-old man, a 73-year-old woman, a 49-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy.
The group included residents of Fontana, as well as residents of Batavia and Wheaton, Illinois. All four kids were wearing properly fitted life jackets, according to law enforcement.
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What happened on Geneva Lake?
Dig deeper:
Law enforcement said the boat operator had “extensive boating experience” and was unable to find safe harbor when the storm hit. At least two large waves broke over the bow, causing it to take on water. Another wave hit the side of the boat, causing it to roll, capsize and sink.
The sunken vessel was found in 32 feet of water, and three children were found inside the boat. Divers were able to get them out and bring them to the surface, and they were pronounced dead despite life-saving attempts. Investigators determined they had no external injuries and drowned.
What’s next:
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency are still conducting a joint investigation into the accident. Eleven other agencies assisted with the immediate needs.
The Source: Information in this post comes from the City of Lake Geneva Police Department and Community Unit School District 200 (CUSD 200), along with prior
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