Chicago mayor to sign executive order on minimum wage for contractors

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to sign an executive order that requires city contractors and subcontractors to pay employees a $13-an-hour minimum wage.

Emanuel's office says he'll sign the order Wednesday morning. Officials say it will apply to city contracts advertised after Oct. 1 and will affect about 1,000 contracted employees.

Employees would include landscapers, maintenance workers, security officers and custodial workers.

Emanuel and other Democrats are making a big election-year push to raise the minimum wage.

Illinois' minimum wage is $8.25 per hour. Emanuel has introduced an ordinance that would gradually increase it to $13 in Chicago.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is pushing to raise Illinois' rate to $10 per hour. President Barack Obama signed an executive order earlier this year to raise the wage for federal contractors.