|
The Chicago City Council approved a similar bill seven years ago, but it was vetoed by then-mayor Richard M. Daley. Joe Moore, the city alderman who sponsored the bill, said Wal-Mart made "the same kind of threats" about refusing to open stores in the city when the legislation was being considered. Wal-Mart ultimately opened several Chicago stores. New York state raised its minimum wage in March but only after agreeing to provide tax subsidies to stores that hire seasonal workers, including Wal-Mart. The bill in Washington includes exceptions for existing businesses and stores with unionized workers, which has led Wal-Mart and other opponents to call it unfair. It's backed by labor unions and other advocates for the poor. The council chamber was packed with supporters of the bill. The Rev. Graylan Hagler, one of the leaders of the coalition, said Wal-Mart was being disingenuous because company representatives told him and other members of the clergy three years ago that they would pay a starting wage of $13 an hour in the district. "I, like many, believe that Wal-Mart in particular is not the best citizen nationally or internationally," said Councilmember Tommy Wells, who nonetheless voted against the bill, saying: "I view this as a job killer. We are not rural America. We need our minimum-wage jobs, our low-wage jobs."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.