Three days before a zoning decision may be made about a Walmart on the Far South Side, the retail giant announced its commitment to work with the city to build dozens of stores over the next five years, and pay a competitive wage.
Three days before a zoning decision may be made about a Walmart on the Far South Side, the retail giant announced its commitment to work with the city to build dozens of stores over the next five years, and pay a competitive wage.
The goal to build the stores in the city would create about 12,000 union and non-union jobs, put a huge dent in eliminating food deserts, generate more than $500 million in sales and property taxes, develop $20 million-worth of charitable partnerships in the city and “pay competitive wages that attract the best possible associates,” according to a written statement released by the Benton, Ark.-based retailer..
“We want to deliver long-term solutions that benefit Chicago and its residents. While our goals are dependent on our ability to site and build stores in a timely fashion, we remain confident that we can make a real difference to Chicagoans in need of a job and those who seek more convenient access to fresh, affordable food, especially those living in the city’s underserved communities,” Hank Mullany, executive vice president and president of Walmart North, Walmart U.S., said in the statement.
Sources said the proposed competitive starting wage would be $8.75 per hour. A Walmart spokesman could not be reached to confirm the proposed wage.
Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) wants the store to anchor a proposed development – two big box retailers, new affordable homes, a hotel, a school and other smaller businesses – in the Pullman community along the Bishop Ford Expressway at 111th Street.
“Our city is facing a number of challenges but most of all, we need good jobs. There is a growing divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ and this initiative has the potential to begin to level the playing field for all Chicagoans,” said Beale.
The vote to rezone an area in Beale’s ward to make way for the city’s second Walmart retail store is expected to go before the City Council’s Zoning Committee Thursday. This will be the third time the issue has been on the table with the committee.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.
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