Chicago Votes to Phase in $15 Minimum Wage by 2021

An ordinance the Chicago City Council approved Nov. 26 to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour included a controversial lower-tier minimum wage for workers receiving tips.

Illinois earlier this year became the first Midwestern state to enact a minimum wage of $15 an hour, with phased-in increases between 2020 and 2025. The Chicago City Council Nov. 26 adopted a more aggressive wage increase schedule, approving on a 39-11 vote a citywide $15-an-hour minimum wage by 2021. Chicago’s current minimum wage is $13 an hour.

Both the state and city standards contain a lower minimum wage for workers ...