Whoa, Wait – You Meant That?
By Alicia Dorr in News on Aug 3, 2006 1:50PM
Everyone not living under a rock for the last few weeks has heard that the so-called “Big Box” 
ordinance, which hits major retailers like Wal-Mart and Target with a hefty living wage requirement, was passed by Chicago’s city council. As the ordinance was being debated on (as the aldermen simultaneously gave themselves a raise), requiring $10 an hour and $3 benefits for employees by 2010, these mammoths of retail – or stores grossing $1 billion or more in annual sales – made some pretty mighty threats. Like, you know, not building stores in Chicago anymore.
Oh, wow, um, Target – you were really serious about that? We sort of thought it was an empty threat. You bluffed, we called it, right? No harm, no foul… heh, heh? Yeah, not so much. It looks like Target, at least, was pretty sincere about cutting itself out of the Chicago retail pie: It announced it is pulling out of a 32-acre shopping mall at 119th and Marshfield and will probably be out of a North Side project as well.
One of the arguments for the raise was that these firms had the capital to sacrifice some extra dough for workers in one city, but the Planning and Development Department’s Commissioner Lori Healy pointed out that the ordinance could mean $1 millionish more a year to the companies just to have a store in the city. Basically, Target is saying it’s not worth it.
For now, alderman like Carrie Austin (34th), who voted against the measure so what just happened wouldn’t happen and now it did happen, are hoping upon hope for a veto from Daley. In order to make sure that any potential veto wouldn’t just be overridden, Daley would have to convince two aldermen to switch sides – which we guess wouldn’t be that hard. He has never had to use a veto because his aldermen have never really done much of anything … well, at all in his 17 years. Guess we’ll wait and see until the next council meeting whether the ordinance stands or the whole thing is sent to the courts.
Image via pslweb.org.