Chicago City Council Approves Living Wage
In July 2006, the Chicago City Council approved an ordinance making Chicago the largest city in the nation to require big-box retailers to pay a “living wage.”
The ordinance requires big-box retailers to pay wages of at least $10 an hour plus $3 in fringe benefits by mid-2010. It only applies to companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet.
Mayor Richard M. Daley and others who opposed the ordinance asserted that the living wage proposal would drive jobs and development from some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods and would lead giants like Wal-Mart to abandon the city.
Chicago’s wage debate began with the city’s rejection of a proposal by Wal-Mart to open a store on the South Side, which prompted the company to open a store just outside the city limits. The first Wal-Mart located in Chicago is set to open in September, but the company has more than 40 other stores within 50 miles of the city.
Wal-Mart stated that its average hourly wage is almost $11 an hour in the Chicago area and that the lowest wage that will be paid at the new West Side store will be $7.25 an hour. Other cities with living-wage laws include Santa Fe, Albuquerque, San Francisco, and Washington.
Chicago-area retailers are expected to challenge the ordinance in court.
Top 10 Hit Alert:
March, April and May 2006
| Inquiring Retailer |
Submitting Retailer |
Amount |
Type of Incident |
| Sears |
Kohl's |
$16,270.00 |
Merchandise Fraud |
| Kohls |
Neiman Marcus |
$12,825.00 |
Credit Card Fraud |
| Sears |
Circuit City |
$10,227.76 |
Merchandise Fraud |
| Kohls |
Linens 'N Things |
$5,234.00 |
Internal Cash Fraud |
| Cost Plus World Market |
Montgomery Ward |
$5,180.00 |
Cash Theft |
| Mills Fleet Farm |
Gander Mountain Stores |
$4,255.58 |
Refund Fraud |
| Payless Shoesource |
Trans World Entertainment |
$3,618.58 |
Merchandise Fraud |
| Parisian |
Kids 'R' Us |
$3,610.00 |
Pass-Thru |
| Kohls |
Sears |
$3,415.46 |
Cash Theft |
| Bed Bath & Beyond |
The Wet Seal |
$3,000.00 |
Merchandise Fraud |
Employee Spotlight:
Brandon Morrell, Implementation Design Manager
 At USIS, the ability to integrate with our clients’ systems and ensuring they are “up and running” in a timely manner is an integral and unique part of our business. We take pride that our customers are provided with a smooth integration and set-up process and are informed every step of the way. For two years, Brandon Morrell has done just that every day as an Implementation Design Manager with USIS.
A four-year veteran with the company, Morrell was initially hired in data entry and call support, transitioning to web support shortly after. One year later, he was promoted to the training department, where he acquired in-depth knowledge about USIS’ products and capabilities. Before long, Morrell moved to the Implementation department.
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Adam Walsh Act highlights importance of checking sex offender status
USIS offers Guardian™ national sex offender search product
On July 27, 2006, President George W. Bush signed H.R. 4472, the new national sex offender law commonly referred to as the Adam Walsh Act. The legislation was enacted to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crime, prevent child abuse and child pornography and promote Internet safety. Among other components of the act is a requirement for the Department of Justice to design, create and maintain a new public national sex offender registry.
Although the Department of Justice has three years to establish its registry, USIS, a leader in pre-employment screening, drug testing, and insurance services, currently offers USIS Guardian™, a national sex offender search product, which is a cost-effective solution that an employer can use to screen for potential sex offenders. read more
University of North Carolina May Start Requiring Student Background Checks
Raleigh, North Carolina senator Neal Hunt recently proposed a state bill requiring fingerprinting and criminal background checks for all students prior to enrollment in any of the state’s 16 public universities, beginning in the fall of 2007.
The bill was prompted by two murder cases at UNC-Wilmington in 2004, both involving suspects with violent histories that were concealed on their entrance applications. The suspects and victims were all students at the university.
Universities rarely conduct criminal background checks on perspective students. However, UNC has amended its application process and now asks specific criminal history questions on the admission application. In addition to the criminal background questions, UNC also analyzes applications for gaps in an applicant’s educational history. If a red flag appears, the university will then run a criminal background check.
Support of the bill is divided. Concerned parents may have more peace of mind knowing that students are screened prior to admission, but general counsel for the university cites that criminal checks may be costly and may not reveal much information because records on juveniles under the age of 16 are sealed.
To date, the bill has yet to be voted upon.
We hope you love our new look
The USIS web ordering site was updated in August 2006. The way you input information to order and view reports has not changed. However, we did change the colors and layout, and added a few enhancements that should simplify navigation of the site. As always, please use the SUPPORT link on any of the pages to send our Customer Satisfaction team an email if you have questions regarding the changes.
We want to hear from you!
As a valued USIS customer, your feedback regarding the products and customer service we provide is important. The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and in exchange for completing the survey, you will have the opportunity to enter your name into a drawing for an Apple iPod. To access the survey, click here.
Thank you for your time and valuable feedback!
Company Closings
USIS and Affiliates will be closed November 23 and 24 in observance of Thanksgiving and December 25 for the holiday season.
Trade Show Schedule
USIS will be participating in a variety of trade shows in the next couple of months. Please click here to take a look at the list.
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