Why the war against Wal-Mart?

Oak Lawn (IL) Reporter ^ | 4/1/04 | Michael M. Bates

[Mike Bates]

Chicago aldermen are taking a break from whatever it is they usually do to save the city’s populace from a fate that’s apparently at least as bad as death.

They’re fighting to keep Wal-Mart from defiling the toddlin’ town.

Aiding them in this valiant struggle are labor unions. The president of the Chicago Federation of Labor outlined a terrifying scenario for the Chicago Sun-Times: "Once this first Wal-Mart comes, you’ll see two more pop up quick and, within a year, you'll probably see 10 of ‘em. This is Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of labor."

What he should have said is that Wal-Mart is Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of union labor. Almost 90% of American workers don’t belong to a union. Their Public Enemy No. 1 possibly, just possibly, might not be a giant retailer offering a large selection of merchandise at good prices.

Who knows? There may even be a union member or two who wouldn’t mind saving a few bucks.

Opening a Wal-Mart means jobs and plenty of them. Many of them would be at entry-level positions, which are so badly needed in the inner city.

But they’re not union jobs. It must be an alderman’s sacred duty to protect Chicago’s unemployed from the humiliation of earning less than what union bosses dictate.

Those who would have been hired by Wal-Mart may be impoverished. They may be dependent on public assistance of one kind or another. They may have to ask for help from relatives and friends.

But, thanks to Chicago’s city council, they’re able to hold their heads high and proudly proclaim, "No, I don’t have a job, but if I did, it’d pay union scale."

One of the aldermen blocking the proposal to build a Wal-Mart told the Chicago Tribune, "I’m here for union labor." How very comforting. Can you spell "lapdog", boys and girls?

Not to be overlooked are the millions of dollars in tax revenue that a Wal-Mart or two would bring to the city’s coffers. Certainly Chicago has a reputation for fiscal prudence. It’s renowned for having absolutely no fraud, waste, mismanagement or kickbacks. Still, I’m sure that city officials would have found a way to spend all that additional revenue.

Wal-Mart seems to aggravate the heck out of some liberals, and it’s not just the company’s non-union policy. There are other problems.

John Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, said a few weeks ago that Wal-Marts "drive me crazy" because "they destroy communities."

The same week in a Los Angeles debate, her husband also disclosed his revulsion for the retailer: "And you've got companies like Wal-Mart . . . that hire part-time people, that have actually advertised to come and work, so they won't do their health care."

Not all of us are as wealthy as the Kerrys, who own five multimillion-dollar homes. We weren’t raised in an affluence that permitted shopping at the most exclusive and expensive stores.

There is, I suspect, an element of elitism in some of the opposition to Wal-Mart. I recently heard from a reader critical of a column I wrote about Costco executives giving large contributions to defeat President Bush.

Wal-Mart wasn’t even mentioned in the column, yet the reader wrote how the store "pays miniscule wages, offers lousy health benefits, and stabs consumers with voodoo pricing," whatever that is.

What particularly interested me was the way he finished his communication: "I'll stick with Costco, you go ahead and fill your double-wide with Wal-Mart crap." For those of you not familiar with the James Carville School of Deprecating Remarks, the double-wide reference is a suggestion I live in a trailer.

Again, there seems to be some snobbery at work in all the Wal-Mart loathing. Is it because the stores provide decent goods at affordable prices to the great unwashed, thereby improving their living standards even to the point of having some of the same conveniences as their betters?

Perhaps a reason is the chain has a policy of not selling CDs with sexually explicit lyrics. Maybe the irritation is the senior citizens hired to be greeters. Wal-Mart sells religious literature, even Bibles. Possibly that’s an annoyance.

Or is it because Wal-Mart is a prime example of how free enterprise can benefit millions of Americans, including the more than one million who work there? Capitalism can just be so unbridled sometimes.

[IYAS9YAS]

We have several old stores in town that are still in business. The reason? They know their stuff and sell things WalMart doesn't. They compliment, rather than compete with, the selection.

[Peter J. Huss]

When Walmart came to our small town, every employee worth their salt got a job there and likely added $3 an hour to their wages.

The fact is, that Mom and Pop didn't pay their employees well and sometimes didn't treat them well.

For smaller towns everywhere, Walmart basically becomes the standard for employment. If you can control what Walmart does, you can indirectly control policy and wages at many more small companies and retail stores across the country.

[BooBoo1000]

I belong to a large Association, we used to hold our Annual Convention in the Hyatt Regency on Wyzada, in Chicago. It "The Association" would bring from two to five thousand people in for a week. We finally moved to New Orleans, the Chicago Union Thugs, were just too much for us. It sometimes cost more to have a Thug run an electrical cord from the wall to a display, than it did to fly the display from California, commercial Airline. Good By Chicago. Figure out how much your Union rate per hour as you stand in the unemployment line.

[green iguana]

And yet, Albertsons just up and bought a huge amount of stores from another chain... I've yet to see an open Albertsons have an empty parking lot.

Yeah, I've yet to figure that one out. Buying Shaw's from Sainsbury for $2.5 billion (cash and debt) seems like it could be a good move in the short run. Shaw's market share in New England (and especially in Maine) is huge. Long run though, I'm not too sure about that one.

As to the empty parking lot - just come on down to Texas, and I'll show you empty Albertson's lots wherever there's an Albertson's. I have one 1/2 mile from my home. Like most of my neighbors, I go there for emergency runs only. I'll gladly drive 3 miles to the HEB when I need to do some real grocery shopping for selection and price.

[Il Duce]

The price has gone downhill, too, and that's the point. It gives people an option. I don't buy many clothes from Wal-Mart, but I bought a sweater there for $8 one time. It's not a great sweater, but it's $8 worth.

That's the decision that people make. If you want a great sweater, you don't shop at Wal-Mart. The thing is, though, a lot of people don't have the luxury to have the option to shop at Brooks Brothers or whatever, and a lot of those people are the blue collar type folks that live in the small towns that Wal-Mart generally goes into. So Wal-Mart provides decent (but not spectacular) clothing at a low price. People who can't afford anything better can shop at Wal-Mart and be clothed, and people who can afford better can shop at Wal-Mart or Jermyn Street, whichever they choose. Everyone wins.

[international american]

"When Walmart came to our small town, every employee worth their salt got a job there and likely added $3 an hour to their wages."

Were they making 3.00 an hour??

[cinFLA]

Make a trip to Costco or a good meat market twice a month.

[TexanByBirth]

Of course being #2 in Austin means they have less than 20 percent of the overall grocery market.

Last I heard, H.E.B. accounts for 75 to 80 percent of the groceries sold in Austin. And there is an H.E.B. on just about every corner in Austin, or a least it seems that way.

[international american]

I suppose you are right. Now Wall Mart is trying to take over the local banking business, by seeking a charter, paying lobbiests millions to garner the rights. They will probably get it, as they have enormous borrowing power....next, all the local mom and pop banks will close, as Wall Mart will set the credit ratings, and the rates.

[IYAS9YAS]

Well, being that I'm from Albertson's country (Idaho - Boise's where it originated), that has a lot to do with the full parking lots. Lots of loyal locals. I'm not one, their prices are too high, unless you get a "prefered card". I use it on occasion, mostly for gasoline.

[abbi_normal_2]

It isn't just Chicago either. From my experience with Las Vegas, Anaheim, Dallas & New Orleans convention centers, the unions there are all are a bunch of scam artists. We used to truck a large trade publication to these conventions; we now do a CD instead. Last time we took the paper edition to Anaheim from Florida it cost $1200 to truck it there and $1700 to get it from the loading dock to the booth. A few minutes with a small front end loader. What a rip-off! We changed to a CD and carry them in our selves.

[BlazingArizona]

Wal-Mart is a huge threat to chain supermarkets. Not that I necessarily think this is a bad thing.

Let me guess: are the supermarkets in your area unionized?

[BlazingArizona]

Well, I do not buy ANYTHING from Wal-Mart, mainly due to their homosexual loving policies.

I haven't shopped for a homosexual lately, so I'll have to check if our local Wal-Marts even carry them. Would they be in Housewares?

[Mike Bates]

Excellent info.

[green iguana]

are the supermarkets in your area unionized?

No, they're not. And the fact that they are anywhere kind of boggles my mind. Totally unskilled labor that anyone off the street coud do does not scream out unionization to me.

[Mike Bates]

. . . instead of ridiculous speculation that the reason a number of communities oppose Wal-Marts is that, for example, Wal-Mart sells Bibles. . . .

Actually, the article doesn't suggest that's why communities may oppose Wal-Marts, but why some Lefties might.

[IYAS9YAS]

Someone here on FR posted, IIRC, that they were at a trade show in Vegas and the union wouldn't let them plug in their own equipment. They had to get an electrician there to plug it in for them and it cost them 50 bucks to do so. Cripes, my house must be ready to explode with all the electrical outlet/electronic equipment interfaces I have running there.

[Mike Bates]

Why the war against Wal-Mart?

Cuz Wal-Mart sucks.

Go Target! (pronounced, Tarz-shay)

Thanks for the thoughtful and reasoned analysis.

[Mike Bates]

Ironic that the headquarters for Sears and Montgomery Wards are located in Chicago.

I believe Montgomery Ward went out of business several years ago.