A restaurant worker is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)
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Under a new proposal introduced last week in Springfield, all tipped workers in the state would have to be paid the equivalent of the Illinois’ regular minimum wage through a combination of wages and tips. If the tips fall short, their employers would have to make up the difference.

(Lindsay Fox / Pixabay)

Hundreds – actually 320 – of new laws took effect in Illinois when the disco ball dropped on 2023. WTTW News has rounded up some of the laws most likely to impact your day-to-day life.

A server working in a restaurant. (WTTW News)
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Chicago joins Alaska, California, Guam, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C., in ending the tipped minimum wage.

Chicago City Hall. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
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City Clerk Anna Valencia acknowledged her office had erred, delaying a triumphant moment for Mayor Brandon Johnson and the progressive political movement that elected him to office earlier this year.

A server working in a restaurant. (WTTW News)
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Chicago could join Alaska, California, Guam, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Washington D.C. in ending the tipped minimum wage.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) said the tipped minimum wage should be eliminated to protect workers from sexual harassment, wage theft and abuse. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
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Chicago is set to join Alaska, California, Guam, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Washington D.C. in ending the tipped minimum wage.

A server working in a restaurant. (WTTW News)
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Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) is sponsoring a Chicago ordinance that would eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers. The proposal has the backing of Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) said the tipped minimum wage should be eliminated to protect workers from sexual harassment, wage theft and abuse. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
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Taken together, the two proposals are likely to form the foundation of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s agenda when it comes to labor. A former organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, Johnson enjoyed the unanimous support of Chicago’s progressive labor organizations.

(hanmoohyun / Pixabay)

Some workers in Cook County will find a little more in their paychecks starting this month.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) said the tipped minimum wage should be eliminated to protect workers from sexual harassment, wage theft and abuse. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
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Mayor Brandon Johnson’s mayoral campaign platform called for an end to the tipped minimum wage, noting that those who rely on tips to earn a living wage are more likely to be Black and Latina women.

On July 1st, a scheduled increase to Chicago’s minimum wage and enhancements to the fair workweek ordinance take effect. (WTTW News)

Some changes are coming soon for Chicago’s workers. July 1, a scheduled increase to the minimum wage takes effect, as well as enhancements to the Fair Workweek Ordinance.

(Sharon McCutcheon / Unsplash)
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Starting in July, minimum wage employees of larger businesses will see their paychecks rise by 40 cents an hour to $15.40

A group of workers with tortilla maker El Milagro march across 26th Street to protest working conditions on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (WTTW News)

Workers are back on the job after last week’s walkout. We hear about their working conditions and the latest on their organizing efforts.

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Chicago hit two firms — including global snack food giant Mondelez International — with $935,000 in back pay and fines for running afoul of the city’s sick leave law, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot vowed Thursday to step up efforts to protect workers.

Labor activists join some public officials downtown for a rally in support of raising the minimum wage in August 2019. (WTTW News)
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The nationwide Fight For $15 movement pushed the challenges facing Chicago’s lowest-paid workers — who are primarily Black and Latino — to the top of the agenda for city officials.

The Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel (WTTW News)
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Wage theft costs Chicago workers $400 million a year, according to the mayor’s office.