Dozens of supporters of Comm. Robert Steele’s Responsible Business Act showed up to Wednesday’s Cook County Board meeting to press non-sponsoring commissioners like Bridget Gainer and John Daley to support the ordinance. The same group staged a protest at a West Loop Wal-Mart in early June that led to arrests.
Comm. Steele introduced the ordinance in October of 2015, but held it in committee over concerns from the State’s Attorney’s office that the language could not withstand a court challenge. The ordinance outlined a hike in wage rates, which would climb every year: wages would start from a base of $10.00 in December 2015, climbing to $11.25 in December 2016, $12.50 in 2017, $13.75 in 2018, and would be tied to the “Cook County Living Wage hourly rate” every year after.