Tuesday, December 2, 2014

All Three Uptown Aldermen Vote To Raise Minimum Wage

Today the City Council voted to raise Chicago's minimum wage to $10 an hour by July 1st, with incremental adjustments bringing it to $13 by 2019.  Alds. James Cappleman (46th Ward), Ameya Pawar (47th) and Harry Osterman (48th) all voted in favor of the new wage plan.  The current minimum wage is $8.25 an hour.

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th Ward, immediately south of Uptown) argued and voted against it, saying it would be difficult for mom-and-pop shops to pay their workers and make a profit.  He was joined in voting against the measure by Alds. Matthew O’Shea (19th), Mary O’Connor (41st), and Michele Smith (43rd). Ald. JoAnn Thompson (16th) was not present for the vote.
  • Ald. Cappleman said in a special newsletter:  "While I am a sponsor of the $15 minimum wage, and will continue to push for it, we cannot wait for the rest of the City Council to get on board. Families in the 46th Ward are hurting and cannot make ends meet. This ordinance will get families closer to making a living wage. [...]  We are moving in the right direction and I will continue to fight to protect workers in Chicago."  His entire statement is here.
  • Ald. Pawar posted several times on Facebook today:  "I voted YES to create a $13/hr #Chicago min wage! Proud to serve on Minimum Wage Working Group." and "Historic day in #Chicago. The City Council passed a $13/hr min wage for #Chicago. Proud to stand with Mayor Emanuel and my colleagues from the Minimum Wage Working Group."
  • Ald. Osterman sent out a special newsletter: "This morning, I voted in support of the minimum wage increase proposed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and recommended by the Minimum Wage Working Group. I believe this measure will better the quality of life for many working families, young adults and senior citizens in our community as well as help break the cycle of poverty for 410,000 people, nearly 31% of the Chicago workforce."  His newsletter, complete with charts and graphs, can be seen here.

1 comment:

  1. Can someone tell me will this affect the little mom&pop store, like the 7/11 type stores, that don't have a lot of employees and don't make a lot of money? Will it effect the little mom&pop restaurant?
    If so, I can see a lot of little businesses going out of business or moving across the city line.

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