The NYT reported on Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's decision to veto an ordinance setting a higher minimum wage for large stores (e.g. Wal-Mart). After 2010, the law would have required large stores to pay workers at least $10 an hour, plus $3 an hour for benefits.
The article concludes by presenting the assertion of a Wal-Mart spokesperson that the average wage for "full-time hourly associates" in Illinois is $10.41 an hour. Before anyone assumes that this means that Wal-Mart already pays more than the 2010 minimum imposed by the vetoed ordinance, it is important to remember that the spokesperson only referred to "full-time" employees. What percent of Wal-Mart's workforce is counted as full-time? I don't know this one offhand, and the article provides no guidance on this issue. Maybe they could have gotten this information if they had spoken to someone from an organization that is critical of Wal-Mart.
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