The talks had been underway between Walmart and union representatives from the Chicago Federation of Labor and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union about the proposed Pullman Park development that Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) wants the s
The vote to rezone an area on the Far South Side to make way for the city’s second Walmart retail store was delayed for a second time.
Discussions between the retailer and union officials that delayed last month’s scheduled vote were still ongoing, according to Ald. Daniel Solis (25th), chair of the zoning committee.
The talks had been underway between Walmart and union representatives from the Chicago Federation of Labor and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union about the proposed Pullman Park development that Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) wants the store to anchor. While Walmart was ready in May for the zoning committee to vote, union officials wanted more time to see how the discussions progressed before the vote was rendered.
At the June 3 zoning meeting, Solis told committee members, union members and concerned residents who sat in the galley the issue “will not be heard today.”
Beale, who was not at the meeting, declined to comment.
Ald. Edward Burke (14th), a committee member and chair of the finance committee, said he wasn’t the “least bit surprised” the issue was temporarily off the table.
Burke, who hasn’t been in favor of Walmart and has had the issue for the retailer to build a store in Chatham held in his committee for more than a year, said the proposed developer should take care of a transaction tax still owed to the city for a parcel of the land after an ownership change before the committee considers a vote.
An attorney for the developer, David Reifman, told the committee the land may be exempt from the transaction tax because it’s in an enterprise zone.
“I, for one, will oppose any further action by this committee,” until the tax issue is resolved, Burke told Solis.
The proposed Pullman project, along the Bishop Ford Expressway at 111th Street, calls for two big box retailers, new affordable homes, a hotel, a school and other smaller businesses.
Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th) recently introduced a revised big box ordinance calling for large retailers who get more than $250,000 in government subsidies, including Tax Increment Financing, to pay a living wage of at least $11.03 per hour.
Originally, the union-backed measure – vetoed by Mayor Richard M. Daley – required all businesses with more than $1 billion in annual sales and stores with more than 90,000-square-feet to pay a minimum wage of at least $11 per hour, $13 per hour with benefits.
Walmart spokesman Steven Restivo said the Arkansas-based retail store’s national average hourly wage is more than what the city’s labor unions request, and the average hourly wage for the West Side store, the city’s only Walmart, is $11.77 for full-time employees.
The next zoning committee meeting is scheduled for June 24.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.