Journal & Topics Media Group

Glenview Revisiting County Minimum Wage, Sick Time Ordinances

Patterson Calls For Referendum Analysis Report For Dec. 4 Village Board Meeting

Glenview Village Hall at 2500 East Lake Ave. opens Monday, Dec. 14

Glenview Village President Jim Patterson asked village staff to prepare an analysis of the overwhelming advisory referendum votes supporting Cook County’s minimum wage and mandatory sick time ordinances for trustees to discuss at their Tuesday, Dec. 4 village board meeting.

Patterson said he wanted village staff to perform a precinct by precinct analysis to understand how Glenview voters cast their ballots on the issues.

A Journal analysis of Glenview precincts showed voters supported the county minimum wage advisory question by an unofficial vote of 18,079 to 5,908, or a three-to-one margin. Every Glenview precinct in Northfield, Maine, Niles and New Trier townships supported the higher minimum wage.

In suburban Cook County, voters supported the minimum wage advisory referendum by an 80.13 percent to 19.87 percent margin, or 664,188 votes to 164,746.

The mandatory sick time ordinance drew stronger support, approved by suburban Cook voters by an 85.94 percent to 14.06 percent margin.

Glenview exercised its home rule authority to opt out of Cook County’s higher minimum wage and mandatory paid sick time ordinances in June 2017 — as did more than 100 other Cook County municipalities before the new laws went into effect.

The county minimum wage ordinance raised the minimum wage from $8.25 per hour to $10 per hour July 1, continuing to increase by $1 per year until reaching $13 per hour in year 2020. After 2020, annual minimum wage increases would be tied to the Consumer Price Index (inflation rate).

The sick time ordinance mandates one hour of paid sick time for every 40 hours worked, topping out at five days per year.

“We talk all the time about elections having consequences,” Village Trustee Debby Karton observed. She said the advisory referendum was, “Put there for political reasons, they want more of us — municipalities — to adopt their ordinance.”

Karton said the language of the sick time referendum question did not exactly match the county ordinance and was a compound question. She asked Village Attorney Eric Patt to address these issues in his analysis.

Karton also asked that members of the business community be contacted so, “We can understand what kind of administration it (sick time ordinance) entails.”

Village Trustee Michael Jenny said he is glad the issue is coming back up as he is eager to learn more about what the community wants.

Wilmette is set to consider an ordinance opting back into the county minimum wage and sick time ordinances at its Tuesday, Nov. 27 village board meeting.

Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-13th), who represents part of Glenview, said he would meet with incoming Cook County commissioner-elect Scott Britton (D-14th), a former Glenview village trustee and strong advocate for not opting out of the two ordinances, this week on how to approach Glenview.  

 

Glenview minimum wage advisory referendum vote by township within the village.

                               Yes              No

Northfield          14,220       4,668

Maine                  1,930          598

New Trier           1,035         316

Niles                     894            326

Total                    18,079       5,908

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