Chicago Increases Minimum Wage To $15

Effective July 1, the Chicago minimum wage increases to $15 an hour for most workers. City officials and Mayor Lightfoot are also celebrating recent efforts to ensure that domestic workers receive a fair wage through the Chi Biz Strong Package that passed City Council last week. Significantly, all domestic workers will now benefit from the $15 minimum wage starting on August 1, generating up to $28 million in additional income for roughly 8,000 domestic workers over the next two years. 

Beginning July 1, over 400,000 Chicago workers will receive a raise. Workers at businesses with 21 or more employees will be guaranteed a minimum wage of $15 an hour, while workers at businesses with 4-20 employees will see their minimum wage raised to $14 an hour as part of a gradual move to a $15 an hour by 2023 for small businesses.  

Established in 2019, BACP’s Office of Labor Standards oversees Chicago’s landmark labor laws – including Minimum Wage, Paid Sick Leave, and Fair Workweek. In 2020, the Office of Labor Standards received 102 complaints regarding the minimum wage and cited 48 businesses, with fines totaling $146,500. Any Chicago worker that believes they are not getting paid the required minimum wage should call 311, use the 311 mobile app, or submit a complaint form on the Office of Labor Standards website, which is available in multiple languages.  

Chicago businesses are required to post a notice with information for their employees on their rights under the Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance — the notice is available in multiple languages on the Office of Labor Standards website. To help workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under the new minimum wage and other worker protections, BACP will hold a series of webinars in the coming weeks. To register and learn more, visit chicago.gov/laborstandards.