Chicago Forces Walmart/Target/Home Depot to raise wages

[peaceloveunderstanding]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-bigbox03.html

It looks like Target is picking up and moving out of the city. From my understanding, if this isn't vetoed, more stores (big tax generators) could be moving out as well.

The poor will be ones who suffer.

[Snowguy716]

Target is just trying to kill the measure. They'll throw their political clout around by threatening and pulling out of projects because if this was successful in Chicago, it would only open a can of worms for hte rest of the country.

It has nothing to do with Chicago as much as it is seen as a threat...

If Target can't make a profit and pay their employees a livable wage, then maybe they should re-think their strategy as a company.

[runawayjim]

i'd be surprised if this lasts... maryland (i think) tried to do something like this with forcing walmart to supply health insurance, but it was shot down in court.

[Recchia]

But hey, I get it, Wal-Mart supporters prefer all taxpayers to subsidize Wal-Mart wages so you can buy low-quality cheap crap to fill up an oversized house.....

Exactly... When will we all realize that buying this cheap crap from cheap stores like Walmart only further perpetuates the existence of the lower middle and lower class.

Walmart's business model could not exist without government subsidies in the highway transportation system, government policies that encourage cheap oil and automobile travel, subsidies that maintain the global trade system, ports and everything else needed which allows them to move goods, and government policies that lets them bring in low cost junk from 3rd world countries. (many of them with repressive governments) Walmart owes the government big time for making its business model possible. If it were really just the free market, Walmart would have to pay a lot more for how it operates, but it is the best opportunist out there and knows now to take advantage of what our goverment allows.

I love it when people make posts like this, then I can just quote them, agree and not have to type them out.