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<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow"><A
href="http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n30jy06b.htm">http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n30jy06b.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">'Living wage law' raises minimum to $9.25 an hour
in Chicago</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">Applies to big-box retail giants like Wal-Mart,
Home Depot and Target</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">Chicago (30 July 2006) - The City of Chicago has
passed the first "living wage law" in the United States, forcing mega-retailers
such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target to pay workers a minimum wage of $9.25
an hour (up from the current rate of $6.25).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">The new law applies only to stores with at least
90,000 square feet of space and $1 billion (US) in annual sales across the
company.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">If such a law existed in Canada, it would raise
the minimum wage for such wealthy chains to $10.50 an hour in Canadian dollars.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">Minimum wage laws are set in Canada by the
provinces. Rates currently range from $6.70 ($5.90 US) in New Brunswick to $8.50
($7.50 US) in Nunavut. However, B.C. has a two-tiered minimum wage with a
starting rate for new workers of $6.00 an hour ($5.25 US an hour).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">The Chicago law was approved 35-14 by city
council members after weeks of heated debate and immediately drew retaliatory
threats from the multi-billion-dollar retail chains to move operations outside
the city limits.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">However, supporters say the $1.2 billion in
potential sales that Wal-Mart and other retailers could make by expanding to
meet untapped inner city retail markets will easily outweigh the cost of paying
workers the hourly increase.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">In one high-unemployment west side neighbourhood,
where workers are putting the finishing touches on the city's first Wal-Mart,
the new law is welcome news. More than 9,000 people applied for the 450 jobs
that Wal-Mart will offer when the Chicago store opens next month.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">The law will affect 42 stores and 7,500 workers,
and has the potential to affect many more.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">The National Union of Public and General
Employees is supporting a campaign by the United Food and Commercial Workers
(UFCW Canada) to organize Wal-Mart employees in Canada.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow">Footnote: The United States Congress, which
hasn't raised the American minimum wage in 10 years, voted Friday to boost the
rate from $5.15 ($5.80 Cdn) an hour to $7.25 ($8.25 Cdn) in three stages - $5.85
($6.60) on Jan. 1, 2007, $6.55 ($7.40) on Jan. 1, 2008 and $7.25 ($8.25) on Jan
1, 2009. The bill must still be approved by the U.S. Senate and signed by the
president to become law. NUPGE<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>