The Cook County Board of Commissioners passed Feb. 10 an ordinance designed to address the problem of wage theft.
The ordinance, introduced by Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski, prohibits any company or individual who is found guilty or liable of wage theft from obtaining Cook County procurement contracts, business licenses or property tax incentives for a period of five years. Cook County is now the largest county in the nation to pass such legislation.
“These past several years have been some of the most economically challenging in our nation’s history, and the impact of the Great Recession has been most damaging to our low-wage workers,” Board President Toni Preckwinkle stated in a release. “Unscrupulous business owners have exploited low-wage workers by refusing to pay overtime, classifying legal employees as independent contractors, paying less than minimum wage and, in some instances, even refusing to pay wages outright.”
Preckwinkle added it was unfair to hardworking employees and their families and it’s unfair to competing businesses operating within the confines of the law.
Tobolski stated millions of dollars in wages are stolen from workers by their own employers every year, and businesses that take advantage of Cook County workers should not benefit from Cook County contracts, licenses and property tax incentives.
Representatives from ARISE Chicago, an organization dedicated to building partnerships between faith communities and workers to fight workplace injustice, praised the legislation, according to the release.
