(The Big Box Living Wage Ordinance was vetoed by Mayor Daley on September 13, 2006.  The City Council failed to override the veto, voting 31-18.)

Despite a million-dollar media blitz and vocal opposition from Mayor Daley, an overwhelming majority of likely voters in Chicago support a living wage law for large retailers according to a citywide poll released at a rally at City Hall on Wednesday, August 30.

According to the poll, 71% of Chicagoans favor the Big Box Living Wage ordinance, which would require stores like Home Depot, Target and Wal-Mart to pay a living wage of $10 an hour and provide $3 an hour in benefits like health insurance by 2010.

Click on the link below to read more about the Big Box Living Wage campaign.

The City Hall rally and release of the poll results coincided with the opening of a Lowe's big box store in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The store's manager was quoted as saying the company was "glad to comply" with Santa Fe's living wage law.

Elected officials from Santa Fe and San Francisco joined economists and policy experts at a special hearing at City Hall Thursday afternoon told Chicago aldermen that living wage laws enacted in their communities have not slowed business growth.

The struggle over the Big Box Living Wage Ordinance continues, despite passing out of the Chicago City Council last month with an overwhelming 35-14 vote.

Big box retailers continue to threaten our communities and Mayor Daley is mulling the use of the first ever veto in his career.

In order to override the vote, Mayor Daley must convince two aldermen to change their minds.  Ald. Shirley Coleman (16th) said she will change her vote from "yes" to "no" if the Mayor asks and Ald. Danny Solis (25th) said he would consider doing the same (click here for the story).

Despite all our hard work over the past several months, we must continue to fight

for support of this ordinance that will lift 10,000 out of poverty by requiring large retailers that earn over $1 billion a year to pay their employees $10 an hour and provide benefits like health insurance by 2010.

Read more about the continuing struggle for fairness and equality in our News Clips section

How did your alderman vote on the Big Box Living Wage Ordinance?  Click here to find out!