Chicago big loser in war against Walmart

Chicago Business:

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.

Despite the fact the company says these numbers underscore demand for Wal—Mart jobs in the community, critics wonder how many of these positions are lower—paying part—time work.

The only other site that’s come close to the number of applications is a store in Oakland, California that received 11,000 applications for about the same number of positions last year.

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Wal-Mart said more than 70% of the new positions will be full-time.

“We just think them coming out and telling the press that they have 25,000 applications is disingenuous,” says Tim Drea, legislative director for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881. “I think it’s a PR stunt.”

Mr. Drea says he’d like to see the applications himself before putting faith in that number.

Plus, he says overall he worries that the store will hire more part-time workers rather than full-time employees with benefits.

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Losers. Other reports indicate the village where Walmart located the store will net an additional one Million dollars in sales tax revenue. Tim Drea may still be in denial but there is little doubt that a large number of people from Chicago do not agree with him. This post also demonstrates that Maryland is also a big loser in the war against Walmart.

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States engage in "entrepreneurial federalism," competing to be especially attractive to businesses. A Wal-Mart distribution center, creating at least 800 jobs, that has been planned for Maryland could be located instead in more hospitable Delaware.

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Democrats have been talking a lot about looking out for the little guy lately, but their war against Walmart is an attempt to drive up prices for the little guy and lower his standard of living.