Unemployed in South Chicago? Will a Walmart job really help?
Not an expert in big box stores! Chicago's current big box ordinance, as I understand it, requires stores with more than 90,000 square feet in space, and owners with yearly sales topping $1,000,000,000, to pay $10 per hour plus $3 in benefits by 2010. About 14 wards (in red, accompanying map) voted against this ordinance. This happened in 2006, didn't it? But Walmart has a store at 4650 West North Avenue in Chicago. So why won't the city let Walmart build another store in the 21st Ward?
I do work for a non-profit agency that puts South Chicago residents back to work. Early in June, 2009, while attending Constituent Night at my local ward office, Alderman Howard Brookins, Jr. asked if I could request a few of our clients (the people we counsel are called "clients") be sent to a pre-City Council press conference on June 30 to assist him in making the case for a new big box store in my ward. We went and talked and made our case that South Chicago residents need jobs desperately.
What's the problem? In short, if Walmart builds in the 21st Ward, the public sector will most likely subsidize Walmart's store through government health care benefits for its bottom-level employees. Anyone can find a number of things wrong with Walmart's treatment of its employees.
However I will emphasize here that ex-felon and impoverished residents in South Chicago, potential employees of Walmart, do not care about these matters. Already we place clients with garbage sorting companies and day care facilities and so on. Our clients' wish is that the city lets Walmart build, and maybe, just maybe, they get a chance to rise up a notch in this world.
Going forward, I need to make certain I understand the controversy. I think the Alderman is doing the right thing mainly because he wants to bring jobs into South Chicago. The clients tell me that jobs in South Chicago trump any debate between power brokers.
www.shopsouthchicago.com promotes business in South Chicago. As you can see I'm interested in anything that brings jobs here. Any help with the current facts in this dilemma would be appreciated.
Help South Chicago
South Chicago residents. my clients, from all walks of life, still need work, regardless how the big box story plays out.