Cheers erupted in the council chambers after the Chicago City Council voted to 36-12 to pass an ordinance that gives workers in the city 10 days of paid leave, including five sick days and five days of personal time off.
“This new policy is a milestone and our commitment to the wellbeing and empowerment of Chicago’s workforce,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “This is a really value statement a value statement that says here in Chicago we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to take care of themselves their loved ones and to do it without burden of financial instability.”
Johnson's allies considered the vote a major victory for his progressive administration.
“This was an ordinance that was passed out of compromise,” 22nd Ward Ald. Michael Rodriguez said. “It was passed out of us coming together and struggling because the end result is one for a greater Chicago.”
Alderperson Jeylu Gutierrez of the 14th Ward and the Vice Chair of the Workforce Development Committee said she knows the challenges firsthand of workers in the restaurant industry.
“This measure is not just policy, but its lifeline,” she said. “No one should face the possible choice between health, family, and wages. This ordinance is our commitment to justice, fairness, and compassion.”
The city said there are exemptions to the ordinance. Small businesses with less than 50 employees won’t have to pay out unused paid time off, businesses with 50 to 100 employees will have a two-year phase-in while companies with more than 100 employees will have to pay out unused paid time off.
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“Chicago is not divided independent of the color of your skin, your race, your faith,” said a member of Arise Chicago. “We all work for a living, we all make this city run and we did something amazing here today—I’m just thrilled to be here for it.”
The ordinance was criticized by small business owner Anthony Waller of Catering Out The Box on Chicago's West Side, who believes the measure will hurt consumers.
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“The difficulty that we have in the industry right now is labor, and aside from labor, cost of goods rising, cost of rent rising, cost of utilities and all this is going to do is lead to greater cost when it comes to the bottom line,” Waller said.
The Chicago Paid Time Leave Ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
