Chicago wants 'tens of thousands' of firefighter applicants to out do Wal-Mart

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

If 25,000 people applied for $10.41-an-hour jobs at the new Evergreen Park Wal-Mart, imagine the crowd when Chicago holds its first firefighters entrance exam in more than a decade for a job that pays $44,838-a year.

"Tens of thousands," said Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter.

"Much better job with a lot more benefits" than Wal-Mart, said John Chwarzynski, president of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2.

On Wednesday, City Hall launched an unprecedented outreach campaign designed to attract a record number of applicants and, more important, to change the face of a Chicago Fire Department that has a long and documented history of discrimination.

When you work at Wal-Mart not everyone grew up in the same neighborhood.But, when you work for the city of Chicago a whole neighborhood like Mayor Daley's old one could be on the city payroll.