Mayor Richard M. Daley used the first veto of his seventeen years as Chicago's mayor to protect Walmart and other big box retailers from having to pay a living wage.
I posted about this when the law was first passed, I thought that the original vote was veto proof and that Daley wouldn't want to spend political capital using the first veto of his career against Chicago's workers. It turns out I was wrong on both counts.
Daley has been muscling councilors since the original vote and apparently a mix of threats and patronage promises got him the turncoats he needed. However the aura of invincibility he's cultivated in almost two decades in power has slipped and the consequences of a mayoral challenge by Jesse Jackson JR may spell the end of his reign.
Supporters of the big box living wage law promise to keep fighting , including a possible city-wide referendum.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
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3 comments:
fight the power! living wages are a right!
Thanks to Rusty Idols for giving the living wage debate some visibility. This writer is not against a living wage, but the problem here may be that Chicago is not an island. Big box operators would just move into surrounding counties, depriving the city of tax revenue, should such action take place. 35 alderman, given the chance, won points with their constituents and made the mayor look bad in the process, while, full knowing, the most likely outcome will be buisness as usual.
The Big Boxes already have the outlying areas and now want - no, need - to start following the money inward everywhere - including Chicago. Santa Fe proved they'll put up with living wage laws and build super malls anyway.
Thanks for the comment, future comments will require something more than Anonymous.
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