The Chicago Tribune reports on Chicago's move to prevent Wal-Mart from opening a second store in Chicago:
Why didn't the city say yes to such a needed development? Because that would have reignited Mayor Richard M. Daley's still-smoldering battle with organized labor over the controversial Big Box ordinance. The City Council—with labor's frenzied support—passed that ordinance requiring big-store retailers to pay workers higher wages and benefits in 2006. Mayor Daley vetoed it.
Despite the size trigger in the Chatham Market development and the now-defunct Big Box ordinance, this controversy has always been more about what's on the shelves than how many shelves there are. Wal-Mart is the nation's largest retailer—and the nation's largest grocer. Organized labor is determined to protect its unionized ranks at area Jewel and Dominick's grocery stores. That means it's determined to keep Wal-Mart and its big grocery departments out of Chicago.
In other high cost Chicago news,
The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
Are Chicagoans trekking to the suburbs to buy cases of bottled water -- and avoid a new nickel-a-container tax that adds $1.20 to the price of a 24-pack? Or are they making the switch to tap water to save money?
One or the other is happening. Maybe both.
Revenues from Chicago's new bottled water tax are trickling in -- at a rate nearly 40 percent below projections -- exacerbating a budget crunch that has already prompted Mayor Daley to order $20 million in spending cuts.
January collections were $554,000. That's far short of the $875,000-a-month needed to meet the city's $10.5 million-a-year projection.
Chicago politicians would rather have people buying bottled water and consumer products somewhere else.No wonder Chicago's lost population since the year 2000.It's hard to compete when you are the high cost place of doing business.
