2006 Chicago Big Box Ordinance

On July 26, 2006 the Chicago City Council voted to approve an ordinance which for 7 weeks made Chicago the largest United States city that required big-box retailers to pay what the ordinance's sponsors characterized as a "living wage." Formally entitled "AMENDMENT OF TITLE 4 OF MUNICIPAL CODE OF CHICAGO BY CREATION OF NEW CHAPTER 404 ENTITLED "LARGE RETAILERS"",{{Cite journal |journal = Chicago City Council Journal of Proceedings|pages = 83061–83070|date = 2006-07-26|title = Unfinished Business|url = http://chicityclerk.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/document_uploads/journals-proceedings/2006/072606VII.pdf#page=1202}} the ordinance was popularly known as the "Living Wage Ordinance" or "Big Box Ordinance." The ordinance defined "Large Retailers" as those with annual gross revenues of $1 billion or more or with stores of 90,000 square feet or more. "Large retailers" were required to pay $9.25 per hour in wages and $1.50 per hour in benefits, with a schedule of cost of living increases. (At the time, the minimum wage was $6.50 per hour state and $5.15 federal).{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/27/AR2006072700197.html|title=Chicago Council Passes 'Living Wage' Act|author=Bellandi, Deanna|access-date=2007-10-12|date=2006-07-27|newspaper=The Washington Post}}

The ordinance was sponsored by Aldermen Moore, Flores, Tillman, Preckwinkle, Hairston, Lyle, Beavers, Stroger, Beale, Pope, Balcer, Cardenas, Olivo, Theodore Thomas, Coleman, Latasha Thomas, Murphy, Troutman, Munoz, Chandler, Ocasio, Ed Smith, Reboyras, Matlak, Austin, Colon, Allen, Laurino, Levar, Shiller, Schulter, Maryanne Smith and Stone.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/us/27chicago.html?|title=Chicago Orders 'Big Box' Stores to Raise Wage|author=Eckholm, Erik|access-date=2008-12-06|date=2006-07-27|work=The New York Times}}{{cite web |url=http://docs.chicityclerk.com/journal/2006/march29_2006/march29_2006_part3optimize.pdf |access-date=2012-11-05 |date=2006-03-29 |title=AMENDMENT OF TITLE 4 OF MUNICIPAL CODE OF CHICAGO BY CREATION OF NEW CHAPTER 404 ENTITLED "LARGE RETAILERS" AND TITLE 8, CHAPTER 4, SECTION 050 CONCERNING ACCESS TO PUBLIC AREAS OF LARGE RETAILERS |page=74619 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610050604/http://docs.chicityclerk.com/journal/2006/march29_2006/march29_2006_part3optimize.pdf |archive-date=2015-06-10 |url-status=dead }}

This legislation was widely reported in the national press. More than two dozen publications, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Houston Chronicle, The Kansas City Star, Rocky Mountain News, The Seattle Times, and Philadelphia Daily News, carried the story.{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:FWTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=113226999F9CE158&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Big-box retailers targeted|access-date=2008-12-12|date=2006-08-27|publisher=Newsbank|work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram|author=Bellandi, Deanna}}{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:HCBF&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11325702F21B1278&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Chicago passes wage law - Big-box retailers would have to pay $10 an hour |access-date=2008-12-12|date=2006-08-27|publisher=Newsbank|work=Houston Chronicle|author=Bellandi, Deanna}}{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:KCSB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=113328E08CF07C18&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Chicago adopts living wage law - Largest retailers will be required to pay workers at least $10 an hour, plus $3 in benefits|access-date=2008-12-12|date=2006-08-27|publisher=Newsbank|work=The Kansas City Star|author=Bellandi, Deanna}}{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:RMNB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11322408A531F130&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Briefs|access-date=2008-12-12|date=2006-08-27|publisher=Newsbank|work=Rocky Mountain News}}{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:STIW&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=113269DFFB6B3650&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Across The Nation|access-date=2008-12-12|date=2006-08-27|publisher=Newsbank|work=The Seattle Times}}{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:PDNB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1132806CE0D7DE10&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Chicago challenges Wal-Mart on pay|access-date=2008-12-12|date=2006-08-27|publisher=Newsbank|work=Philadelphia Daily News}}

Mayor Richard M. Daley vetoed the ordinance on September 11, 2006, and two days later the City Council sustained the veto.{{cite news |title=Chicago 'Living Wage' Turned Back |author=Heher, Ashley M.|date=2006-09-14|agency=Associated Press}}