In the long drawn-out battle over Walmart in the city of Chicago, there have been few winners.
In the long drawn-out battle over Walmart in the city of Chicago, there have been few winners. While some unions have engaged in a furious and steadfast battle against the Benton, Arkansas-based retail giant, and politicians have railed publicly about business practices of the big-box leader, neither of the two entities can say they have won.
That is because Walmart was successful in slipping their store onto the West Side, where it is doing bang-up business and drawing even more development around it. Those employees at that store have not joined in the protests mounted by anti-Walmart groups like Good Jobs Chicago. Instead, they have been cashing paychecks, getting promotions and paying bills and taxes.
Walmart is anti-union and keeps its overhead low. Unions would love to crack that armor and unionize the company’s thousands of workers, filling union coffers with new dues. But this is not about unions or politicians. This is about jobs.
The massive development proposal outlined by Ald. Anthony Beale is not about Walmart (though it could not happen without a major anchor, and Walmart is willing). It is about jobs. Beale estimates 780 construction jobs at least, with another 1,000 jobs during the first phase of the project.
While the nation is slowly emerging from a horrific recession, Black communities, like Beale’s 9th Ward, are still in the throes of depression. The only thing that ends that kind of economic downturn is jobs. That is what most Black leaders keep telling Congress and the president. It is what most community activists say is necessary to stop some of the violence on our streets. This community needs jobs.
And yet, we have aldermen taking the position that if they can not secure “good” jobs for their constituents, they would rather they stay jobless. That is indefensible.
We should certainly hold Walmart accountable. There are reports of transgressions from Walmart around the country, and that is troubling. But, there are legal means to deal with those, and the marketplace has a way of censuring businesses that step over the line.
Opponents of Walmart complain about low wages for the workers. They complain about lack of benefits for many workers, and that Walmart seeks to keep too many workers below the 35-hour full-time threshold.
But those same opponents do not seek to force fast-food restaurants to pay a “living wage” for those workers, or complain that few of them are 40-hour workers. They don’t hold all other employers in the cityto the same wage requirements.
But the battle over Walmart has now waged for more than six years. How many Chicagoans – Black Chicagoans – would have been able to weather this economic storm, paying bills, keeping up with their mortgage, if they had a job paying $11.03 an hour?
Those who could not get those jobs have been the losers.
It is time for City Council to say “yes” to jobs, instead of saying “no” to Walmart. How about letting the community be winners, with jobs?
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.
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