…but Cudahy Mayor Ryan McCue is having none of it. Shortly after casting a vote against Wal-Mart, McCue became the subject of a recall effort spearheaded by two Cudahy citizens who support putting a Wal-Mart right in the heart of Cudahy.
Randy Hollenbeck of The Way I See It, a local Cudahy blog, has taken up the issue of putting a Wal-Mart in Cudahy, and among the arguments he uses to justify putting a Wal-Mart in Cudahy is as follows (emphasis mine):
Wal-Mart doesn’t affect Cudahy’s image, just like have Pick N’ Save does not. What it does do is increase the standard of living. Look up what standard living means if in doubt.
While Randy Hollenbeck would like folks to believe having a Wal-Mart in Cudahy will increase the standard of living, the opposite is true. In fact, Wal-Mart has helped employees file for public asssistance, a fact which seems to fly in the face of Randy’s argument. Now sure, I suppose some will argue, “But Zach, you linked to the AFL-CIO…that proves that this is all about unions hating Wal-Mart.” Now sure, I linked to an article on the AFL-CIO website, but here’s proof that Wal-Mart assisted employees in seeking out and applying for public assistance.
And let’s not forget that almost two thousand Wal-Mart employees here in Wisconsin receive BadgerCare, at a cost of almost 1.8 million dollars to Wisconsin taxpayers. Now while Randy Hollenbeck might not mind paying his tax dollars to foot a health insurance bill that Wal-Mart and its billions of dollars in profits should be picking up, I’m not into corporate handouts. But getting back to my main point, the fact that almost two thousand Wal-Mart employees in Wisconsin need BadgerCare just underscores my point that Wal-Mart does little to raise the standard of living, as Randy Hollenbeck asserts.
Putting aside Randy Hollenbeck’s argument about Wal-Mart raising the standard of living in Cudahy, I believe this is an issue of folks in Cudahy settling for a Wal-Mart when they could raise their expectations much, much higher. Why not seek out a development that enhances Cudahy’s reputation, instead of settling for the eleventh Wal-Mart within a twenty mile radius?
What millions of dollars in handouts in order to build stores in cities like Chicago?
US: Wal-Mart Likes Chicago, But Not City’s Wage Plan
by Gary Washburn, Chicago Tribune
June 13th, 2006
A Wal-Mart official said Monday that his firm could be interested in building “10 or 20” stores on city sites during the next five years, but he added that passage of a minimum wage measure by Chicago’s City Council could have a chilling effect on the company’s plans.
“First things first,” said John Bisio, Midwest director of community affairs for the giant retailer. “We have to figure out if this lopsided, unconstitutional, unfair ordinance is going to be adopted, and then we will go from there.”
Under two “big-box” proposals pending before the council, operators of large stores in the city would be required to pay their employees a minimum of about $10 per hour in wages and another $3 in fringe benefits.
“There is a tremendous amount of opportunity that can be lost, not just by Wal-Mart but by other businesses that would be affected by this,” Bisio said. “If you were a businessman, why would you want to continue to invest millions and millions of dollars … and subject your business [to a requirement] that applies to some, but not all? It is an unfair ordinance.
“If you want to raise it for all businesses, if you want to do it to all retailers, then you might have something,” he continued. “But not like this.”
After winning a zoning battle with the help of Ald. Emma Mitts (37th), Wal-Mart is nearing completion of its first Chicago store, which is in Mitts’ West Side ward. Plans for a South Side store were thwarted in 2004 by aldermen who contended that the company exploits its workers by failing to pay a living wage.
Younger and inexperienced employees start at about $7.25 per hour, but the average pay of workers is about $11, Bisio said Monday.
“When you look at the fact that Chicago residents continue to spend more than half a billion dollars at our Wal-Mart stores in the suburbs, just outside the city, our homework keeps telling us there is a tremendous opportunity to do a better job taking care of Chicago residents,” said Bisio, who attended the ribbon-cutting of a new Chicago library in the same area as the company’s West Side store.
Passage of a big-box ordinance in its present form, however, would “put the brakes” on the plans for as many as 20 new city stores in the next few years, he said.
Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd), who supports the big-box ordinance, said that passage would not change Wal-Mart’s plans.
“We won’t lose them,” he said. “Wal-Mart wants to come into Chicago because they see the market. They see how much is being spent in Chicago proper. They want to be here. They just have to pay a living wage.”
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13713
Most of Chicago’s Wal-Mart issues are again union. Large grocery unions. That is why the size limit was place in Chicago. Always comes back to unions. Dems/libs for Reps/con against. Why have all of this pretence with claims of other things. That is the issue. Just say it!
Ryan McCue was once a conservative republican (he really was a RINO) and now calls himself a democrat.
The real big problem for Dems/libs is Wal-Mart would rather close a store then let it unionize. I wish people could just come out and say the real reason.
What else do you have?
Being the biggest retailer doesn’t make them the best.
There are things more important than money in the world. And Oak Creek is not the first community that didn’t want a Wally World corrupting their neighborhoods.
And the last time I checked, Chicago is still doing quite well, even without Wally World.
limo at walmart
Who said Oak Creek didn’t want Wal-Mart?
What does make the best? Highest prices? Highest pay? Union shop? Do tell?
Chicago doing well? You really mean the burbs right?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5069992/
Alderman Emma Mitts countered that people in her West Side ward need the jobs that Wal-Mart can bring.
“Take a ride in my area and see what I am dealing with day in and day out. There’s a lack of jobs and opportunity,” she said.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=19286
The new Wal-Mart Stores Inc. location opening Friday in suburban Evergreen Park received a record 25,000 applications for 325 positions, the highest for any one location in the retailer’s history, a company official says.
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2008/03/chicago-gets-hi.html
Chicago Gets Highest Sales Tax in U.S.: 10.25%
Capper – Do you still really mean it?
Oak Creek won’t want or need a Wal-Mart with the Woodman’s and the strong possibility that they’re going to get a CostCo as well.
Mayor Richard Bolender of Oak Creek doesn’t mind if Wal-Mart would come to the O.C. Wal-Mart was/is looking at Van Beck’s farm to go on that land along with the U.S. Postal Service. Costco would be looking at the area around Delco. Costco made the comment that Cudahy is not a good option as it is too close in their circle and wanted something 10 miles or more south of that.
Plenty of room in the O.C.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a number for Van Beck’s farm
64 acres = 2,787,840 sq ft
So if the post office is going to take up 800,000 sq ft = a lot of room left.
As for the Van Beck site for the post office, it’s important to note that while the building itself is just over 800,000 square feet, you have to take into account that the facility will need plenty of room around it for semi trucks to maneuver, as well as parking for 1,900 employees, so I see most of that site being taken up by the processing center.
Roadrunner freight is a trucking company in Cudahy for now, they will be moving soon, and they don’t need that much space. Is a parking structure being used? I am sure the developer wants to get the most use of the land. The jobs moving is a good thing, the Post Office doesn’t pay taxes don’t forget!
Randy,
Ryan ran on a platform of no to Wally World. He was elected. That should tell you something there.
But I did like the video, especially where the woman said “A limo at WalMart. Weird.”
Says something, doesn’t it.
And isn’t there still two Wally Worlds on South 27th St. already? How many do you need?