Skokie Makes Move To Retroactively Avoid Raising Minimum Wage

SKOKIE, IL — Skokie is poised to opt out of the Saturday's minimum wage increase next Thursday — four days after it takes effect — under the recommendation of its chief lawyer. Village of Skokie Corporation Counsel Michael Lorge recommended retroactively opting out of both the Cook County Minimum Wage Ordinance and Earned Sick Leave Ordinance.

The move comes with under 48 hours to go before the two ordinances are set to take effect and more than eight months since they were passed by the county. Over those eight months, no one has before the Skokie Village Board to support or oppose the ordinances, according to the memo dated Thursday and attached to the agenda for the regular July 6 meeting.

In the memo, Lorge writes that Skokie was among the last places in the county to consider the matter "because it sought to give Cook County leadership an opportunity to prove the merit of its legislation."

But that didn't happen.

"In light of Cook County's inability to build a coalition of business and community leaders to support its new ordinances, discussions have shifted from the merits of a minimum wage increase, to an "assessment of the effectiveness" of raising wages and mandating paid sick leave and its impact on Skokie's "ability to plan future economic development, attract new businesses and maintain [its] existing business community."

According to Lorge, the new Cook County labor rules that had been set to take effect in Skokie on Saturday "might be held unlawful and invalid if a court determines that the State of Illinois has preempted the regulation of minimum wage and sick leave for employees."

In his opinion, such workplace concerns "may very likely be matters solely for the State of Illinois, because these workplace regulations have been preempted by the State, taking them outside the purview of home rule powers of the Village."

Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen has not responded to repeated questions on the matter. Skokie's director of marketing and communications, Ann Tennes, declined indefinitely a request for an interview on behalf of the village manager.

Read the full test of Lorge's memo and the proposed Skokie ordinances below:

Top photo: Skokie Village Board | via Village of Skokie