WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Republican leaders were meeting behind closed doors on and off Thursday trying to reach a compromise to appease a block of moderate Republicans who are demanding a vote to increase the minimum wage before the House takes a five-week recess.

One GOP aide said the leadership was forced to deal with the issue now after a group of Republicans threatened at a House GOP caucus meeting Thursday morning to vote with Democrats against a motion to adjourn, forcing the House to stay in session.

"It's trending toward a vote on Friday," the aide said.

There is still discussion about whether to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour over some period of time, perhaps three years. There are other measures on the table that would likely be tied to the wage boost, such as tax incentives for small businesses and a bill to establish association health plans, a proposal favored by small businesses that has passed the House before.

"It's likely that it's going to be a package," the aide said.

House Democrats are calling for a straight up and down vote on raising the minimum wage to $7.25. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded a "clean bill - a straight up or down vote on increasing the minimum wage, without the usual Republican poison pills of attaching tax cuts for the wealthy or other so-called sweeteners for the Republican special interests."

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