Niles business owner Paul Prikos supported opting out of Cook County ordinances
NILES – More Cook County municipalities are on the verge of opting out of county mandates to pay higher minimum wages and provide 40 hours of paid time off – bolstering a quiet, but effective movement that is sending a stern message to their Cook County Board: "Enough with making it harder and more expensive to run a business!"
Already, almost 40 villages, towns and cities within Cook County have rejected the mandates.
Earlier this year, the Cook County Board passed two ordinances that will go into effect July 1st: 1. requiring all businesses in the county to raise their minimum wage to $13 per hour and 2. requiring all businesses in the county to pay their part- and full-time employees 40 hours of paid time off each year.
Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison – one of the four Republicans that opposed and spoke out against the ordinances when they were before the county board – began notifying businesses within his 17th District about the county wide ordinances. He argued that the Illinois Supreme Court had already decided in another case that the mandates were outside the jurisdiction of the Board.
"County commissioners don't have the authority to enact any fees or taxes," Morrison said. "The State's Attorney's Office confirmed that the county board doesn't have the authority to pass such an ordinance. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez also said Cook County lacks the home rule authority to enact a paid leave mandate.'
"As county commissioners and most municipalities out there," Morrison said, "We have home-rule government, and our authority starts and ends there. According to state law, our authority is granted to create ordinances around public-safety issues and to administer administerial duties."
Activist groups like Arise Chicago, People's Lobby and Reclaim Chicago have been actively pressuring city and village councils to embrace the ordinances. Business organizations such as Chamber of Commerces and the Technology & Manufacturing Association have been lobbying the councils to opt-out.
Niles Trustee George Alpogianis led the successful effort in Niles to opt out. The vote was 4-2 in favor of opting out. Village President Andrew Przybylo led the unsuccessful effort against the opt out.
After the vote, the Mayor ran his own ordinance for Niles that mirrored the Cook County ordinance, but exempted people under 18, businesses with 25 or fewer employees, and cut the paid time off down to half. That effort failed 4-2 as well.
The mayor was unable to pass a measure urging the State of Illinois to raise the minimum wage, and that also failed 4-2.
The Illinois General Assembly is considering passing similar statewide mandates.
- Municipalities That Have Opted Out
- Alsip
- Arlington Heights
- Barrington
- Bartlett
- Bedford Park
- Bellwood
- Bridgeview
- Buffalo Grove
- Burbank
- Burr Ridge
- East Hazel Crest
- Elk Grove Village
- Elmwood Park
- Evergreen Park
- Harwood Heights
- Hickory Hills
- Hoffman Estates
- Justice
- Lynwood
- Melrose Park
- Morton Grove
- Mount Prospect
- Niles
- Norridge
- Oak Forest
- Oak Lawn
- Palatine
- Palos Heights
- Palos Park
- River Forest
- River Grove
- Rolling Meadows
- Rosemont
- Schaumburg
- South Barrington
- Streamwood
- Tinley Park
- Western Springs
- Wheeling
Municipalities Considering Opting Out
- Berkeley
- Berwyn
- Cicero
- Des Plaines
- Elgin
- Forest Park
- Hillside
- Niles
- North Riverside
- Northbrook
- Orland Park
- Palos Hills
- Park Ridge
- Prospect Heights
- Westchester
- Worth
