Schubert, who hires many teens during the summer, advocates for a "three-tier minimum wage," which takes age into account. His suggested breakdown: Teens 14 to 17 earn at least $7 or $7.50 an hour, 18- to 23-year-olds earn a minimum of $10, and adults 24 and up have a minimum of $13 an hour, which is the minimum approved by Chicago and Cook County. (Chicago is slowly stepping up its minimum wage to $13 by 2019 and Cook County will reach $13 by 2020, though several towns have opted out of the county law.)