Living Wage Policies and Wal-Mart

How a Higher Wage Standard Would Impact Wal-Mart Workers and Shoppers
by Arindrajit Dube, Dave Graham-Squire, Ken Jacobs, and Stephanie Luce

In July 2006, the Chicago City Council passed a "Big Box Living Wage Ordinance," mandating that all retail stores larger than 90,000 square feet and operated by companies making more than $1 billion a year in revenue pay workers a minimum hourly wage of $10 per hour. The ordinance was vetoed by Mayor Richard Daley in September 2006, who said the measure would be harmful to the city.

The growth of big box retail is a mixed blessing to local communities. There is strong evidence that jobs created by Wal-Mart in metropolitan areas pay less and are less likely to offer benefits than those they replace.
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