Latest Headlines
Wal-Mart Tells Employees It Will Cut 11,200 Jobs -01.26.10 | New York Times
Wal-Mart Struggles to Expand in Chicago -01.22.10 | New York Times
At least 600,000 cribs recalled after child death -01.20.10 | Associated Press
Fact Sheets
The Employee Free Choice Act Legislation that will truly make a difference for Wal-Mart workers
Wage & Hour Issues Read how Wal-Mart continually fails to pay every worker for every hour worked
Health Care Wal-Mart's still insures barely over half its employees on the company plan
Always Low Wages Poverty-level wages make life extremely difficult for Wal-Mart's 1.4 million workers
The Environment How Wal-Mart's business model is detrimental for our planet
New Poll Finds Chicagoans Strongly Favor Living Wage Law
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
PRESS INQUIRIES
For press inquiries, contact us at (202) 557-7440.
Chicago, Ill. - Wal-Mart Watch and community leaders today released a new survey that shows a large majority of Chicago voters approve of a Living Wage ordinance that would require Wal-Mart and other large retailers to pay workers at least $10 an hour and provide $3 an hour in benefits by 2010.
According to the poll, 71% of Chicagoans support the ordinance, and over two-thirds (68%) would be less favorable towards an alderman that voted for their own pay raise and rejected the Living Wage for retail employees. Broad support for the ordinance extends to all parts of the city, including North Side (64% favor, 28% oppose, net +36), South Side (79% favor, net +62), West Side (72% favor, net +49), white (63% favor, net +32), African-American (81% favor, net +66) and Hispanic voters (80% favor, net +63).
The poll comes after months of heated debate on the Living Wage ordinance, which included a massive advertising campaign by Wal-Mart and lobbying by former Wal-Mart spokesman Andrew Young. The Chicago City Council passed the ordinance on July 26 by a vote of 35-14, and Mayor Richard Daley will decide next month whether to use his first ever mayoral veto on the ordinance.
Results of the poll were released Wednesday at a Chicago City Hall rally timed to coincide with the Santa Fe, New Mexico grand opening of a Lowe’s store that will voluntarily comply with the city’s new Living Wage ordinance. The store’s manager, Walt Cordova, recently told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the new minimum wage was “not a problem” and that Lowe’s was “glad to comply” with the ordinance.
Recent polling around the country shows voters strongly support legislation requiring higher wages and benefits. A June Washington Post survey found that 77% of Maryland voters support the state’s Fair Share Health Care legislation, and minimum wage ballot initiatives are likely to pass in several states this November.
Denise Dixon, a leader with the community organization ACORN, called on Daley to heed the will of his constituents. “The Mayor has made his opposition known, but people want this ordinance,” she said. “We ask him to listen to the people. Don’t steal our Living Wage.”
“I don’t know one Alderman who wouldn’t want be on the same side as 71% of their constituents,” said Alderman Joe Moore. “It’s a high profile issue that has overwhelming support. Elections are a dangerous time for Aldermen who ignore the feelings of almost three-fourths of their voters.”
“This poll reflects what we have seen working with the community for the last two years,” said Ron Powell, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881. “Chicagoans think it is time to Make Work Pay.”
The poll of 500 registered voters has a margin of error of 4.4% and was conducted Lake Research Partners, a nationally recognized polling firm based in Washington, D.C. The poll was funded by Wal-Mart Watch and Chicago’s UFCW Local 881. Likely voters were asked the following questions:
• Now, I am going to read you a proposal that was recently passed by the Chicago City Council. It is called the Big Box Living Wage and Benefits Ordinance. This ordinance applies to any large retailer operating in Chicago with revenues of 1 billion dollars a year or more and 90,000 square feet or larger. This includes stores like Target, Home Depot and Wal-Mart. It requires these large retailers to pay an hourly wage of at least 10 dollars an hour and at least 3 dollars an hour towards benefits like healthcare by 2010. Do you favor or oppose this ordinance?
• As you may know, the Chicago City Council voted to raise their own pay to over $100,000 a year. If you knew that your Alderman had accepted their own pay raise but then rejected a living wage for Big Box retail workers, would that make you more or less favorable to them or wouldn’t it make a difference?
Full survey questionnaire:
http://walmartwatch.com/img/documents/Topline.pdf
Polling memo from Lake Research Partners:
http://walmartwatch.com/img/documents/Memo.pdf
Background on Wal-Mart and the Chicago Living Wage Ordinance:
http://walmartwatch.com/img/blog/Chicago.pdf
Santa Fe New Mexican: Lowe’s Opens Its Doors To Customers
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48316.html
Connect
