CHICAGO — On July 1, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot joined City officials, workers, labor leaders and worker advocacy groups to mark a historic raise for hundreds of thousands of Chicago workers while calling on the federal government and corporate partners to join Chicago and ensure that all workers receive a living wage.
Effective July 1, as a result of the mayor’s landmark efforts to create financial stability for the most vulnerable workers, the Chicago minimum wage increases to $15 an hour for most workers—four years earlier than the rest of Illinois. Lightfoot also celebrated recent efforts to ensure that domestic workers receive a fair wage through the Chi Biz Strong Package that passed City Council last week. Significantly, all domestic workers will now benefit from the $15 minimum wage starting Aug. 1, generating up to $28 million in additional income for roughly 8,000 domestic workers over the next two years.
“Our dedicated workforce deserves to be protected and treated with dignity and respect—especially after the devastating socioeconomic fallout caused by the pandemic,” said Lightfoot. “With the implementation of this historic minimum wage ordinance and the Chi Biz Strong package, we will be able to uplift our most vulnerable workers and ensure that they are paid a living wage. Chicago, however, isn’t the only city with workers who have gone far too long without proper protections, so it is my hope and expectation that our members of Congress and national corporate partners join our city and work to implement a federal living wage to give workers all around the country the opportunity to lead financially stable lives.”
More than 400,000 Chicago workers will receive a raise. Effective July 1, workers at businesses with 21 or more employees will be guaranteed a minimum wage of $15 an hour, while workers at businesses with 4-20 employees will see their minimum wage raised to $14 an hour as part of a gradual move to a $15 an hour by 2023 for small businesses.
Chicago businesses are required to post a notice (http://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/bacp/OSL/mwandpslhumantraffickingenglish51921.pdf) with information for their employees on their rights under the Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance — the notice is available in multiple languages on the Office of Labor Standards website 9 http://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/officeoflaborstandards.html). To help workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under the new minimum wage and other worker protections, BACP will hold a series of webinars in the coming weeks. To register and learn more, visit (http://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/officeoflaborstandards.html).