CHICAGO - July 26 - A battle raging in Chicago this week over whether to require Big Box retailers to pay a living wage is expected to come down to the wire on Wednesday, July 26th. The Chicago City Council is set to vote on Wednesday on an ordinance that would require a $10 minimum hourly wage and $3 an hour in fringe benefits, with annual indexing for inflation, for big box retail stores that are at least 90,000 feet and have gross annual sales of $1 billion.

“Voting for living wages means voting for a better community of all of us,” ACORN community leader Toni Foulkes said. “Voting for this ordinance is the right thing to do, and the wise thing to do, and in the end we believe our elected officials will see that.”

While Wal-Mart, other major retailers, and Mayor Daley have launched an expensive media and public relations campaign against the ordinance, it still enjoys strong grassroots support, and stands a good chance of passing the full Council.

More than a year ago, Chicago ACORN began working on an ordinance to increase the wages and benefits at big box retail stores. The Brennan Center at NYU helped write the ordinance, and Chicago ACORN and the Grassroots Collaborative initiated a broad-based campaign to win approval of the law. Today, a broad coalition including more than 30 organizations; labor unions including the UFCW, SEIU, UNITE/HERE, Chicago Federation of Labor, and Change to Win; church groups and ministers, are standing together in support of living wages in Chicago. Their grassroots including door-knocking, phone calls and visits to aldermen, vigils, rallies, and community events will continue up to the moment of the vote, expected to around mid-day on Wednesday, July 26th.

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