Chicago Strikes Again

There are no Wal-Mart stores within the city limits of Chicago. Don't fret though, you can still buy cheap Chinese-made stuff in more than 40 stores within 50 miles of the city. Of course, this has been inconvenient for the many poor people who most need inexpensive goods.

So, a while ago, in a moment of weakness, the City Council approved the first Chicago Wal-Mart, which was to open in September. Then, on Wednesday, the Council apparently changed its collective mind, and by a vote of 35-14, adopted an ordinance requiring mega-retailers with over $l billion in annual sales to pay workers at least $10 an hour in wages plus $3 in fringe benefits by mid-2010. (The current minimum wage in Illinois is $6.50 an hour.)

Because Wal-Mart spokesman John Bislo had said earlier, that if the measure passed, "we'd redirect our focus on our suburban strategy and see how we could better serve our city of Chicage residents from suburban Chicagoland," it looks like the poor will have to continue to find a way to get to Skokie.

Unlike the UN, Wal-Mart doesn't bluff.