During his State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama called for increasing it to $10.10 an hour. Durbin said he backs that proposal.
He was joined by minimum wage employees and a Chicago-area business owner who explained why he thinks he's able to retain employees.
"Our defacto minimum wage right now is $10 an hour, and we're talking about getting that up to $11.50 because we recognize how important it is that when people come to work they feel part of the community that we're talking about, they feel part of what we're trying to do," said David Borris, owner of Hell's Kitchen Catering.
Gov. Pat Quinn also called for increasing the minimum wage during his State of the State Address.
