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Labor & Worker Rights Tue Dec 17 2013
Ballot Proposal Would Encourage Raising Minimum Wage in Chicago
Petitions were delivered on Monday to the Chicago Board of Elections in order to place a non-binding referendum on the March ballot that would encourage companies to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The referendum would only affect business that make $50 million a year, according to a press release from Raise Chicago Coalition.
The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25 an hour, one dollar higher than the national minimum wage.
The effort to gather the signatures for the referendum was led by the Raise Chicago Coalition, which consists of groups including Action Now, ONE Northside and Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, among others.
There has been a national discussion about increasing the minimum wage, including after a Wal-Mart in Canton, Ohio held a food drive for its employees. On Dec. 5, workers at fast food restaurants across the country went on strike to demand higher wages.
