At the May 23, 2017 Village Board meeting, the Niles Board of Trustees approved an ordinance "opting out" of new Cook County regulations regarding minimum wage and paid sick leave by a vote of 4-2. Cook County ordinances 16-5768 and 16-4229 would require employers within the County to pay employees a minimum wage of $10 an hour and provide a minimum number of paid sick days to employees. Niles, as a home rule unit of local government, has the authority to make decisions such as these pertaining to its government and affairs. The action taken by the Niles Village Board updates the Niles code of ordinances to declare that employers located within the Village shall comply specifically with all federal and State labor laws, but that "No additional obligations with regard to paid sick leave, or minimum hourly wages, including, without limitation, any additional obligations by ordinance adopted by the County of Cook Board of Comissioners, shall apply to employers located within the Village..."
Therefore, employers whose principal place of business is within the Village of Niles will not be bound by the Cook County minimum wage or paid sick leave ordinances that are going into effect on July 1, 2017. All current State, federal, and local laws and ordinances are still in full effect.
Employers who require official documentation of this ordinance can find a downloadable copy of the ordinance here.
Employers with additional questions about how this action will affect their business can call Economic Development Coordinator Ross Klicker at 847-588-8074.
Media outlets can contact Communications and Multimedia Coordinator Mitch Johnson at 847-588-8008.