Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to Announce Support for Chicago's Living Wage Law

(CHICAGO) - On Monday, July 24, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn announced his support of a proposed Chicago ordinance requiring big box retailers to offer all their employees a living wage and basic benefits.

 

            Quinn was joined by one of the ordinance's sponsors, Ald. Rey Colon (35th), and a coalition of supporters at a news conference in the 15^th floor Blue Room of the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. 

 

The living wage ordinance, expected to go before the City Council for a vote on Wednesday, July 26, would require big box retailers to pay workers at least $9.25 an hour, plus $1.50 an hour in benefits.  The lowest wage at the big box stores - defined in the ordinance as stores of at least 90,000 square feet, owned by retailers with total annual gross revenues of at least $1 billion - would increase each year, to $10 an hour plus $3 an hour in benefits by 2010. The living wage ordinance was introduced by Ald. Joseph A. Moore (49^th), Ald. Fredrenna Lyle (6^th) and Ald. Colon.

 

"This is an issue of basic economic justice," Quinn said. "If a company can afford to pay its CEO more than $15 million a year, it can afford to pay a living wage to the hard-working people on the front lines who make that company's economic success possible."

 

The Lt. Governor noted that Chicago has offered millions of dollars in tax-increment financing subsidies to real estate developers who plan to include big box stores in their planned retail projects.  "Those subsidies are paid for by the property owners of Chicago," Quinn said.  "These giant retailers have a duty to repay part of those subsidies by paying their workers a living wage.

 

"If we want to preserve the middle class in our country, states and municipalities have to take action to make sure all workers get the fair living wage they deserve," Quinn added.  "I hope Chicago's City Council will pass this ordinance, because it will make a real difference in the lives of hard-working men and women and their families."