Chris Lu at Buck Mulligan's 02.04.16

Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu (right) speaks to a roundtable at Buck Mulligan's on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016 to support Birmingham raising its minimum wage to $10.10. Council President Johnathan Austin, right, listens.

The Obama administration will do whatever it can to support Birmingham raising its minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu said at an event in Birmingham Thursday.

Lu led a business roundtable at Buck Mulligan's in Five Points South composed of local government leaders, activists and local workers in support of raising the minimum wage.

"Birmingham is really setting a path," Lu said. "Wherever there is a city or state that wants to take on this fight, we at the Department of Labor and the Obama administration are going to support it."

Birmingham City Council passed a bill in August that would increase Birmingham's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over the course of two years. Then, in September, a committee in the Alabama House of Representatives approved a bill that would keep cities and counties from passing their own minimum wages. That bill was eventually set aside, but could be passed this session.

Council President Jonathan Austin said the two-year period was introduced to allow small businesses to adjust. But the council is considering moving that up because of the law.

Montgomery City Councilman David Burkette said he's trying to get Montgomery to raise its minimum wage to $10.10 as well. He said he's secured four votes thus far.

Le'Darius Hilliard, the president of the Jefferson County Young Democrats, said raising the minimum wage would not only be good for workers, but for society - alleviating poverty would lead to less crime, better health, and even a lower divorce rate, he said.

Buck Mulligan's Owner Danny Winters has spoken out in favor of raising the minimum wage. He said ultimately it doesn't cost business owners more, because paying a higher wage increases employee retention, and training is expensive.

"The money that you would spend upfront paying higher wages, that's the money you're going to spend that every month when you're training someone new," Winters said. "Because I own smaller businesses, my goal is to get good employees and keep them."