Top News

City Council Fails To Override Veto Of Big-Box Law

Supporters Fall Four Votes Shy Of Override

Get breaking news alerts

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Some Chicago aldermen drew cheers and jeers Wednesday afternoon when they switched votes at a noisy debate at the City Council meeting.

Aldermen handed Mayor Richard M. Daley a victory for his veto against the Big Box ordinance, by a margin of four votes.

CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that supporters of the ordinance promised to pick up and continue the fight.

Political payback was on the minds of chanting demonstrators at City Hall, their scorn aimed at Mayor Daley and 18 aldermen who voted to uphold his successful veto.

With the so-called Big Box living wage ordinance now history, supporters were already promising more battles to come.

Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said, "We still had over 60% of the City Council support a living wage. I think that's a victory."

They needed 67% -- or 35 votes -- to preserve the now-dead measure.

It would have been the first law of its kind in America, forcing an estimated 43 retail stores with more than 90,000 square feet to pay their employees $10 an hour wages and $3 an hour benefits. Opponents called it a job-killer.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) said, "It will snatch jobs away from residents who desperately need them, while only benefiting a tiny fraction of the city's work force. And it will cripple ongoing development efforts in emerging neighborhoods."

On the tense final roll call, those seeking to override the mayor's veto needed 35 votes. They only got 31.

Daley said later, "Everybody wants living wages. It has to be a statewide living wage. We know that. Has to be statewide."

The mayor suggested to both sides he'd be willing to lead a trip to Springfield to lobby for a state law. He said he wants to be in the capitol for the fall veto legislative session.

Protestors arrived two hours before the City Council meeting began. They were bused in by the Chicago Federation of Labor.

But it was clear before the meeting began that the mayor already had enough votes to sustain the veto killing the ordinance, which was approved in July.

The aldermen who are now switching their vote to side with Daley know they may face retaliation in next year's election.

"You get elected to make decisions that are in the best interests of your community," said Ald. Danny Solis (25th). "This is what I feel is in the best interest of my ward, so I'm going to do it."

When asked about opponents who might use his change in stance as an issue, Solis said, "They were there yesterday with SEIU (the Service Employees International Union) and ACORN, and I told them, I let them in, I let them talk to me. I heard them out, I made my statement. I said, 'I'm not going to lie to you. This is what I'm going to do and this is why."

Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) added: "I don't think it ends there (with the veto). I think this thing is going to go on. The unions are talking about possibly putting a referendum on the ballot, and they're talking about doing it around the time when us and the mayor are running against each other."

Ald. Todd Stroger (8th) said Wednesday he still supports the ordinance.

"Companies that make a lot of profit need to share those profits with their employees and they should try to make sure that they can pay them a wage that's livable and give them some type of health insurance," Stroger said. He is running for Cook County Board president to replace his father, who stepped down after suffering a major stroke.

The November elections for governor and some state, federal and county offices have not yet happened, but the discussion Wednesday indicated that the mayoral and aldermanic elections that will be held next March are already in full swing.

The measure's supporters say workers at such retailers as Target and Wal-Mart deserve a living wage. But some big box retailers have put plans to set up shop within the city limits on hold because of what it would cost them.

During his 17 years in office, Daley has enjoyed a near total hold on the City Council, and the veto was his first ever.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)