In a statement, Michael Lewis, SVP and store operations president of Wal-Mart's Midwest division, said, "We commend Mayor Daley for vetoing the ordinance and ensuring more jobs, more convenience and more choice for Chicago's working families. His action encourages desperately needed business investment and development in the city, with job opportunities and savings for those who need it most."

Plans for a 445,000-sf Target on the South Side are currently on hold. A statement from Target called the ordinance part of an "extreme agenda being promoted by special interest groups. The ordinance would have discouraged new retail development in Chicago communities needing it most by driving up the cost of doing business."

Lowe's, which opened a unit in Chicago a year ago, said through a spokeswoman that the company believed "the ordinance was unfair and created an unfair playing field." Lowe's has held back on plans for additional units in Chicago. Specifically, the ordinance requires retailers of the size and scope defined in the measure to pay at least $10 an hour, plus $3 an hour in fringe benefits by mid-2010. This would be nearly double the Illinois minimum and well in excess of the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Among the other cities that have, or are considering instituting so-called "living wage laws" include San Francisco, Washington DC, and Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM.