Block Club Chicago | Hannah Alani, Alex Hernandez, Justin Laurence, Bob Chiarito | March 16, 2020
Owners urged the state to give emergency unemployment benefits to all hourly and salaried workers, eliminate payroll tax for business owners and call for rent and loan abatement for workers.
BUCKTOWN – Before Gov. JB Pritzker ordered the closure of all Illinois bars and restaurants amid a growing Coronavirus outbreak, some Chicago chefs and business owners were already weighing the pros and cons of closing.
On Sunday, a group of about 50 industry leaders met in Bucktown at Chef’s Special, 2165 N. Western Ave., to strategize next steps.
In a statement released Sunday night, the chefs and restaurant owners called on Pritzker to give emergency unemployment benefits to all hourly and salaried workers, eliminate payroll tax for business owners and call for rent and loan abatement for workers.
“We will not survive this closure without immediate, decisive action from the government,” the statement said. [SNIPPET]