After supporting wage increase, Des Plaines mayor addresses businesses
Hours after Des Plaines aldermen opted out of county ordinances increasing the minimum wage and guaranteeing paid sick time, Mayor Matt Bogusz faced business owners at a chamber of commerce breakfast Tuesday.
Two weeks earlier, he had broken a tie vote to keep the city in line with Cook County-imposed laws. Business owners then spent the following days lobbying against the city's decision, which resulted in the aldermen reversing their decision.
Speaking to dozens of business owners at the Cafe La Cave banquet hall, Bogusz told them he stood by his decision raise the minimum wage, which he said he saw as the moral thing to do, but the mayor also sought to assuage their concerns.
"While I disagree with many of your perspectives on those two issues, I respect them," Bogusz said. "I know these issues are emotional, and they hit your bottom line."
The ordinances raise the minimum wage to $13 per hour by 2020 and require five days of sick leave for full-time workers annually.
The four-hour meeting Monday night was emotional, contentious and exhausting, with each side enlisting heavy hitters to sway the city council. Business owners said they feared losing jobs and their livelihoods, and argued government shouldn't interfere in the free market. Advocates pleaded the case of income inequality and helping the poor.
The decision was difficult for city council members. Alderman Don Smith, who changed his mind to support opting out, admitted he was still undecided minutes before the vote.
Alderman Malcolm Chester - another city council member who reversed his vote to support opting out - reflected on the plight of low-wage workers who board the bus across from his house each night after work. Many of the people have worked for 20 years and still earn just above the minimum wage, he said. He suggested the city find ways to help them.
"They're still going to be there at the end of this vote," Chester said. "They're still going to be coming by my house, and they're still going to be getting on that bus, and they're still going to be struggling to survive."
On Monday, the city council did approve a resolution urging state lawmakers to address the issues. A bill on Gov. Rauner's desk would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next five years. The current minimum wage is $8.25 per hour, which equals an annual salary of about $17,160 for a 40-hour week.
After the crowd left, aldermen moved on to other issues, including approving a $19,250 grant to help a downtown business get a facelift and giving store owners next door to city hall $30,050 for new windows and doors. Both measures passed without much discussion.
At the breakfast Tuesday morning, Bogusz promised steady leadership, often using the word "predictable" to describe how businesses could expect the city to act. He also forecast a bright future for business.
"The early results are in," Bogusz said. "And 2017 may be our strongest year yet."