To the editor,
Several communities in Cook County, including my community of Northbrook, are considering taking away the rights granted by two county ordinances that go into effect on July 1 – the $10 per hour minimum wage and the guarantee of five days of paid sick leave. These rights affect some of the most at-risk workers in our communities.
Contrary to popular belief, minimum wage workers are not only teenagers looking for part-time work or senior citizens with time on their hands. Nearly one-third of Chicago area workers ages 18 to 64 are currently working in jobs not paying enough to support a family without public aid or charity. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the living wage for one adult living in Cook County is $12.56 per hour. The living wage for an adult and one child is $24.89 per hour. The current Illinois minimum of $8.25 an hour, which equates to an annual wage of $17,160 a year, is closer to a poverty wage than a living wage.
With regard to sick pay, the National Partnership for Women and Families says nearly 75 percent of child-care and food service workers don’t have a single paid sick day. Since many cannot afford to lose even one day of pay, they come into work sick, risking the health of co-workers, customers and their charges. This is clearly a threat to public health.
Studies have shown that the national economy would save billions of dollars a year due to increased productivity and reduced turnover if workers received paid sick leave, a win-win for employees and employers.
And the Cook County voters have already spoken. In non-binding ballot referendums, they overwhelmingly approved of the need for a minimum wage increase and paid sick leave.
Herbert Brenner
Northbrook, IL