Sen. Dick Durbin is ramping up his push for a higher minimum wage.
Durbin was joined at a union headquarters Wednesday by Chicago-area congresswoman Robin Kelly and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey.
"Let's be patriotic too when it comes to workers and working families across America, let's reward those companies that pay their employees a fair wage," Durbin said.
There will be a referendum on the November ballot in Illinois asking voters whether the minimum wage should be increased to $10 an hour.
Some republicans say the referendum is a politically-motivated plan to get more democrats to vote in the fall.