The Chicago City Council passed a groudbreaking measure yesterday requiring “big box” stores to pay a minimum wage of $10 an hour by 2010, along with at least $3 an hour worth of benefits. While thats 4 years off its a significant step towards a livable wage for America's blue collar workers.
Its nice to see somebody standing up for the people that work in big box retailers. The ordinance is to be imposed on any stores more than 90,000 square feet and part of companies grossing more than $1 billion annually. Well done Chicago. Well done.
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How do they desigante a store as a "big box" retailer? I'm assuming it is based upon square footage but what if the retailer breaks up the store into say Toys 'R Us, Kids 'R Us and Babies 'R Us with each sub-store just below the square fottage threshold? Are they able to stop the companies from doing that?
How does the recent setback that the Maryland law (requiring Wal*Mart to pay more for employees that don't have healthcare coverage) recently suffered affect this Chicago law? Does it run into the same problems with ERISA?
All based on square footage. Hmm not that is a good question about the sub dividing or weighing in just bellow the threshold. Maybe that is where the link to a billion in earnings comes in. No idea about the Maryland victory and its relation to the City Council's ruling in Chicago.
I think it was a defeat for the Maryland law and a victory for Wal*Mart unfortunately. However, I think the article I read indicated that the ruliing would be appealed.
It's basically another example of conservatives crowing about states rights until a state passes a law that hurts them. Then they run to the federal courts and get the law dismantled.
Mayor Daley has shot down the good work of the City Council.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060911/ap_on_re_us/chicago_living_wage_1
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