Starting July 1, thousands of low-wage workers in Chicago are promised something long overdue: real paid time off, a living wage, and fair schedules. But unless the City Council funds enforcement, these rights will exist on paper only.

Under new laws, workers at businesses with 51 to 100 employees are finally guaranteed full PTO payouts when they leave a job. The minimum wage rises to $16.60, and more workers qualify for fair scheduling protections. But baristas and restaurant staff are already reporting retaliation and cut hours under the hashtag #FairWorkNow—and too many don’t know their rights or how to report abuse.

We’re calling on Budget Chair Ald. Jason Ervin and Mayor Brandon Johnson to add $5 million in the upcoming budget for enforcement. That means multilingual outreach so workers know their rights, more inspectors to hold bad employers accountable, and a 24/7 anonymous hotline for reporting retaliation and wage theft.

These protections matter most to women, immigrants, and Black and Brown workers who power Chicago’s service industry. Rights without enforcement are just empty promises.

Stand with Chicago workers. Demand real accountability by funding paid-leave enforcement now.