WE DID IT. WE WON!!! Parents across Illinois score a huge victory with the passage of the Child Tax Credit! Last night, Illinois lawmakers approved a budget that includes $150 million Child Tax Credit for working parents. WCRJ is proud to be a part of this victory as part of the Illinois Cost-Of-Living Refund Coalition.
If you've been following since the beginning of the 103rd General Assembly (January 2023), you know the amount of time and energy Workers Center for Racial Justice members have put into this campaign. Press conferences, rallies, and testimonies in Springfield are just some of the tactics it took to make this happen. In the end, the fight that culminated in a huge victory for over 1.4 million children across Illinois. The bill includes $50 million for tax year 2024 and $100 million for tax year 2025.
What Does This Mean: Over the next two years parents should expect to receive a $300-$600 tax credit (based on household size) if a child in the household is under the age of 13 on December 31,2024. The credit is distributed as a one time payment as part of the 2024 tax refund (filed in 2025). The credit will increase the following year, as more funds are directed to the program.
Workers Center for Racial Justice would like to send a special shoutout to Ms. CTC herself, Krystal Peters, long time WCRJ member who transitioned to full time Child Care Organizer in the Fall of 2023. We know that Krystal and her newly organized cohort of Power Parents was the secret sauce to get this over the finish line! With your help, we'll continue to fight to expand the child tax credit to ALL children regardless of age! If you would like to be a Power Parent whose overall goal is free Child Care for All, sign up to be join our Child Care for All Committee!
We are encouraged by Governor Pritzker’s State of the State and Budget Address, particularly the inclusion of a state Child Tax Credit. This proposal marks a significant step towards providing economic relief and support to thousands of families in Illinois. Child poverty was cut in half as a result of Biden's expanding Child Tax Credit in 2021. Childhood hunger was dramatically reduced, educational outcomes were improved, and there was a boost in the economy as a whole. With the prices of goods and services increasing, our families have a greater need for the Child Tax Credit than ever before.
With a state Child Tax Credit, parents will have enough money to spend on food, formula, bills, and clothes for their growing children. It empowers them to make decisions that are in the best interest of their families. By recognizing parents' crucial role in nurturing their children's well-being, this proposal acknowledges the importance of financial stability for families.
For the families of the Workers Center for Racial Justice, the impact of a state Child Tax Credit will be transformative. Many parents struggle to make ends meet, often facing financial challenges unique to their communities. By providing financial support, this tax credit will help alleviate some of their burden, allowing them to focus on providing for their children's basic needs.
We applaud the Governor's commitment to supporting families, particularly those from marginalized communities. Illinois ranks as the poorest state for racial financial equality. Research shows that 60% of state CTC money is allocated directly to black and brown families. A state Child Tax Credit will help alleviate systemic disparities and promote a more equitable society for all Illinois residents.
We look forward to working closely with Governor Pritzker, the General Assembly, and other stakeholders to ensure the Child Tax Credit is implemented and reaches families that need it the most. Let’s make Illinois the 15th state to have a Child Tax Credit. Together, we can create a future where every family in Illinois has access to the resources they need to thrive.
In Solidarity,
The Workers Center for Racial Justice
Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) is thrilled to announce the successful passage of a groundbreaking bill that eliminates the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers in the city of Chicago. This significant achievement marks a major step in ensuring equitable pay for all workers, and makes Chicago the biggest U.S. city to independently abolish the sub-minimum wage.
Through strategic partnerships, grassroots organizing, and relentless advocacy efforts, WCRJ engaged with community leaders, service workers, high-road restaurant owners, and policymakers to build a broad coalition of support for this critical bill. Its passage is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of everyone involved in this transformative movement.
The sub-minimum wage is a legacy of slavery and the Jim Crow era that still endures to this day. After the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, employers resisted paying formerly enslaved Black workers by “hiring” them, but forcing them to work on gratuities alone. In the years that followed reconstruction, continuing anti-Black sentiment quashed various attempts to win fair pay for tipped workers: today, the federally mandated sub-minimum wage sits at $2.13/hour.
More than two-thirds of tipped workers are women, and disproportionately women of color. The sub-minimum wage forces women to endure harassment and abuse from customers in order to earn enough tips to survive, and its continued use systematically devalues women’s labor.
WCRJ member & leader, Kaileigh Reynolds, has worked in the service industry for over four years. She shares her experiences with the subminimum wage:
“Taking into consideration that I am the only black woman working at this River North [Chicago] establishment, the actions of my bosses and even some customers make me feel exploited. It forces me to sell my personality, my appearance, and my well-being… when my skirt is shorter my tips are higher, when my makeup is done there’s a few extra dollars on the line before people sign [their bills]. In the end, I’m working essentially to survive, not to live. I have to spend most days pulling double shifts that can often add up to 14 hours per day, for multiple days at a time.”
Recognizing the devastating impact that the sub-minimum wage has had for many of our members, Workers Center for Racial Justice, One Fair Wage, Our Revolution, Women Employed, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Fight for $15, Arise Chicago, SEIU Healthcare, and other partners embarked on a tireless campaign to advocate for the rights of tipped workers and eliminate this unfair wage structure.
Under the newly passed bill, Chicago’s current sub-minimum wage of $9.48 per hour will be phased out. It will gradually increase each year for five years, until it is equal to Chicago’s standard hourly minimum wage of $15.80. This legislation not only serves as a model for other cities but also sets a precedent for the state and the country, demonstrating that eliminating sub-minimum wage disparities is not only feasible but also necessary in creating a fair and equitable society.
Data from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division shows that states where tipped workers are paid a higher wage have lower poverty rates than those paying a sub-minimum wage. Additionally, servers across all categories report higher earnings overall in states that have adopted One Fair Wage laws.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude and admiration for the dedicated individuals and organizations who worked on this policy, including One Fair Wage, Our Revolution, Women Employed, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Fight for $15, Arise Chicago, SEIU Healthcare, and the many tipped workers who gave their time and stories to this campaign.
We'd also like to thank the elected officials who championed this bill, especially Chicago Alderman Desmon Yancy and Mayor Brandon Johnson.
As we celebrate this significant milestone, the Workers Center for Racial Justice remains steadfast in our mission to advocate for fair labor practices that improve the lives of low-wage workers and end the exploitation of workers of color.
For myths and facts about laws eliminating the sub-minimum wage, see this fact sheet of research compiled by our partners at the One Fair Wage national organization.