Chicago Orders ‘Big Box’ Stores to Raise WagesThe Chicago City Council passed an unprecedented ordinance on July 26, requiring “big-box” stores, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot, to pay a minimum wage of $10 an hour by 2010 and at least $3 an hour worth of benefits. The ordinance affected stores that take up more than 90,000 square feet and part of companies that grosses more than $1 billion annually. The move would be the first in the country to hold large companies to a minimum bar. “This is a great day for working men and women of Chicago,” said Alderman Joseph A. Moore, the measure’s main sponsor. He said several other cities have asked questions regarding its passage. An Illinois retailer’s groups said it would fight the measure in court and Mayor Richard M. Daley has not said whether he will veto it. 7-31 |