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Aldermen OK 'big box' wage

After more than three hours of debate, aldermen voted 35 to 14 today in favor of an ordinance that will require "big-box" retailers to pay their workers more than minimum wage.



The measure only applies to companies with over $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet, which means it primarily affects Target and Wal-Mart.

It requires them to pay at least $10 an hour in wages plus another $3 in fringe benefits by July 2010. The state's minimum wage is $6.50 an hour.