Elk Grove Village plans to opt out of Cook County minimum wage law
Elk Grove Village plans to opt out of a Cook County ordinance raising the minimum wage, despite earlier indications the industrial-heavy community could support a compromise mandatory pay increase.
The village board decided Tuesday on a plan to opt out of the county ordinance, which would gradually increase the minimum wage to $13 an hour during the next three years. Another ordinance requires employers to provide one hour of sick leave per 40 hours of work. Both ordinances take effect July 1.
Board members did not vote on the measure Tuesday, but they unanimously agreed to opt out at the next village meeting, April 25.
Business owners, including employers in the village's large industrial park, told board members they typically pay more than minimum wage. However, raising pay for the lower-level employees would require employers to pay experienced workers more - or cut jobs to stay in business.
"Why rock the boat? Why change something if it's working right now?" Trustee Christine Prochno said. "We are supposed to be the business-friendly community."
Initially, Mayor Craig Johnson proposed raising the village's minimum wage to $8.75 an hour July 1, and to $9.50 an hour Jan. 1, 2018. The minimum wage would increase by 2.5 percent or the cost-of-living adjustment - whichever is lower - each year starting Jan. 1, 2019.
However, the village scrapped the plan after other suburban communities, including Barrington, Mount Prospect, Schaumburg and Rosemont, opted out of the county ordinances.