Just got a raise in your minimum wage? You deserve more

Hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans are about to receive a welcome raise in their paychecks.

The city’s minimum wage rose to $13 an hour on Monday, as required by an ordinance passed by the City Council in 2014. That’s an increase of $1 an hour for approximately 400,000 workers.

Every dollar that goes into the pocket of a low-wage worker goes back into the local economy. It’s money that powers our communities, especially out in the neighborhoods.

Is it an improvement? Yes. But is it enough? Absolutely not.

Now that the city minimum wage has risen to $13 an hour, there is no legislative mandate to increase it again in the future. The minimum wage will increase, from now on, with the rate of inflation, but that will never provide sufficient stability for Chicago families.

As the minimum wage inches upward, the cost of living in Chicago skyrockets. Food, housing, and healthcare costs are exploding, making it more and more difficult for families to make ends meet. Renters must earn more than $20 an hour to afford the median cost of a two-bedroom apartment, according to a new study from Housing Illinois Action.

That’s why I, and 37 co-sponsors in the City Council, recently introduced the Raise Chicago Ordinance. It would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the city by 2021, boosting wages for Chicago’s working families quickly without overburdening local businesses.

The state minimum wage is set to increase to $15 an hour, but not until 2025. With a much higher cost of living in the city compared to downstate, the city increase is needed now. It would keep us at the approximately $4 dollar differential in the minimum wage that we currently have with the state, for several more years.

Simply put, Chicago can’t wait another five years for further action. New York City will be at $15 by year’s end. Working families need stronger wages, and they need them now.

Increasing the minimum wage is good for workers, for Chicago’s communities, and for business.

A study last year from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute showed that the 2014 Chicago minimum wage increase raised workers incomes and had “no impact on either the unemployment rate or the growth of private business establishments in the city.”

The report also found that higher demand from low-income households created new jobs and offset any negative impact on employment.

In short, more money in Chicagoans’ pockets means more money in Chicago’s communities. In addition, it means more stability for employers and employees alike and thus less turnover — a win for everyone.

The Raise Chicago Ordinance does more than just increase the minimum wage; it also brings in groups excluded by the previous minimum wage ordinance. That means workers at the city’s sister agencies, such as the CTA and the Chicago Park District, as well as workers in youth employment programs and transitional employment programs, would join the rest of the city at a $15 minimum wage.

They work just as hard in their jobs and deserve the same pay protections.

The ordinance also phases out the discriminatory sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. Seven U.S. states have phased out the sub-minimum tipped wage, which has been shown to reduce sexual harassment while raising wages in restaurants and boosting restaurant sales. Chicago can and should join the movement for One Fair Wage — $15 an hour for everyone!

Minimum wage workers in Chicago are the backbone of this city’s economy. They help power our downtown core while supporting neighborhood businesses. Monday’s raise was welcome news for many hardworking Chicagoans, but it’s not enough.

It is time for the City Council to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021, ensuring that all workers join in the city’s prosperity.

Because Chicago just can’t wait.

Sophia King has been alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward, which includes all or parts of Bronzville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland and the South Loop, since April 2016.