Chicago City Council OKs 'living wage'

[deadparrot]

CHICAGO - Brushing aside warnings from Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday that makes Chicago the biggest city in the nation to require big-box retailers to pay a "living wage."

"It's trying to get the largest companies in America to pay decent wages," said Alderman Toni Preckwinkle.

The ordinance passed 35-14 after three hours of impassioned debate.

The measure requires mega-retailers with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet to pay workers at least $10 an hour in wages plus $3 in fringe benefits by mid-2010. The current minimum wage in Illinois is $6.50 an hour and the federal minimum is $5.15.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_us/chicago_living_wage

[DYouth]

1. Go Chicago!

Lead the nation!

[gorbal]

2. I always thought Chicago was a fantastic city

They truly have something to be proud of. Good going Chicago!

[AnOhioan]

3. Way to go Chicago.....

[mconvente]

4. Great job Chicago, but caveat emptor (literally)

Wal-Mart and Target are already "focusing on developing their suburban Chicago avenues), which means they'll pull the store out of downtown Chicago, costing people their jobs. This is a great step for a living wage, but we see corporate greed at its finest here, and unfortunately Wal-Mart just doesn't care if they move their stores to the suburbs, where people have more money anyway.

[Ms. Zee]

11. Big Box Ordinance in Chicago

The big boxes won't pull their stores out of downtown Chicago - because there aren't any. (Downtown is for upscale shopping.) There is only one Wal-Mart, which hasn't opened yet, in the entire city, and just a few Target Stores. The Targets are among the most profitable in the entire chain. Wal-Mart claims they pay their employees more than the Big Box ordinance calls for, and Target already provides excellent benefits to its employees. So what are they squawking about? The strangest thing about the whole affair is the way prominent black ministers in Chicago carried water for Wal-Mart on this issue. Yes, people need jobs, but they need jobs you can live on. And none were promised anyway.

[Monkeyman]

5. Yep we do lead the Country

But hope to God we keep Chicago Democrat to many investigations into City Hall

[RandomKoolzip]

6. I wish it applied to ALL service sector workers.

I've been working in food service for ten years and I STILL don't make ten an hour.

Still....this is a bold step and one more reason why I love this city.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. WallyWorld just killed a recently passed Maryland law similar to this

They fought it in court.

WalMart is the embodiment of corporate evil.

[Sherman A1]

8. Agreed

Wasn't that the provide minimum health care or contribute to the state plan?

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Yes

That's why i termed it 'similar' ..... the effect would have been the same ... force WallyWorld to at least pay a fair wage/benefit package and to stop forcing their employees suck at the state teat.

[Robbien]

10. This was not an easy victory with the media here being against

the living wage bill. Even PBS Chicago commentators kept pushing to squash the bill.

So Yay Chicago City Council! Thank you for not paying attention to the bought and paid for media.

[Kittycat]

12. Now if we can just find a way...

To stop them from coming up in my Suburb (west side of Chicago). There's one slated just outside of my neighborhood. Currently, we have a Dominick's (grocery), Target, Home Depot, Office store. Currently under construction, Lowe's, Best Buy, Kohl's, and Meijers (big box). Not yet broken ground on the SAME land mass as Meijers, and one block from the other grocery/target... Super Hellmart!

All that for a town of about 30K, about 10 minutes west of Naperville. Completely disgusting. All the little retailers across the street will be out of business, and I can't see how in the world this town can support two big boxes, a grocery store and target all within a block to the same block of each other. Not to mention Lowe's and Home Depot a block apart. Poor locally owned, chain - Ace hardware up the street will surely go under now :(