The Minimum Wage Working Group tasked by Mayor Rahm Emanuel last week with creating a consensus plan to increase the local minimum wage announced the first of five hearings to solicit public input will be held at Kennedy-King College on Monday, June 9 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The remaining four hearings will take place throughout June on the North, Northwest, West and Southwest sides of the City. The Group has also launched a website to serve as an additional forum for public comment and information at www.cityofchicago.org/MinimumWage.

In May, Mayor Emanuel announced the Minimum Wage Working Group of community, labor and business leaders to develop a balanced plan to increase the minimum wage in Chicago. The Group has been tasked with evaluating options for both short and long-term wage increases for Chicago’s workers to ensure every working Chicagoan has a shot at the middle class. A final report including recommended real wage increases for minimum wage employees and tipped employees is due to Mayor Emanuel in early July. The Minimum Wage Working Group is chaired by John Bouman, President, Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law, and Will Burns, Alderman of the 4th Ward.