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Mark Brown does his usual excellent job summing up what happened and what’s at stake.
The City Council had a different vibe Wednesday while the attempt to override Mayor Daley’s veto of the big-box ordinance was falling three votes short.Even though the outcome was pretty much known before the vote, there was an underlying tension that you don’t typically see — an awkward air of uncertainty.
Aldermen who usually can be expected to back each other up found themselves on opposing sides and exchanging harsh rhetoric. Aldermen who can normally be counted upon to support the mayor down the line grimly cast their votes against him.
There’s an election just around the corner, you see, and suddenly people are making threats, promising political retribution to those on the wrong side of the issue.
And despite a lot of brave talk, it’s not entirely clear which is the wrong side of this issue from the voters’ point of view, especially when you break it down ward by ward.
There are also three very good posts over at Illinoize on the subject.
* Bill Baar: It’s not Wal-Mart, stupid; how about important issues?
* Levois: The bix box veto and the aftermath
* John Ruberry: Second verse on the big box bill
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 8:19 am
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Here is another commentary on the agenda behind the Big Box Ordinance and other ‘global issue’ legislation.
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/9748/1/337
Comment by Pat Hickey Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 8:26 am
Based on the crosstabs from the polling on Big Box, I think it’s pretty clear that proponents have a large base of people they can mobilize, especially in the African American wards.
Mobilization is really the key. Living wage proponents have galvanized a strong base of activists and are developing grassroots leaders. A lot of folks will be making the passage of a living wage their #1 issue.
By contrast, there really is no grassroots movement to oppose a living wage. There are a handful of charismatic leaders who have the ability to turn folks out for a rally (sometimes by promising them jobs), but that opposition hasn’t really taken on a life of it’s own at the grassroots level. And you’ll find very few folks who say that opposing a living wage is their #1 issue. It is, by and large, a reactionary force, and if you spend all of your time reacting to your opponent, you will eventually lose. It’s a basic fact of chess and every other head-to-head competition.
The other thing here is that 18 alderman just exposed themselves to a third party barrage. I don’t think the 32 alderman who still support the living wage have to worry about the mayor coming after them–he’s going to be spending all of his time trying to hold on to his job. So, living wage proponents get to play all offense and Wal-Mart huggers are forced to play all defense. As Rich Miller likes to say: “If you’re defending, you’re losing.”
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 8:51 am
I am no fan of WalMart even though I shop there occassionally and based on the crowded parking lots so do many of the locals. If the city wants to go big box, why leave the small boxes out of it? A $7.00 hr clerk at Mays Lamp shop or John’s Shoes has the same expenses as someone working at Lowe, WalMart, or any other large store. Do all the jobs at Science and Industry or DePaul pay a living wage? WalMart is an easy target/soundbite for any politician who wants to look like they care at election time. WalMart propably deserves a bunch of heat. In the end this whole thing seemed like a bunch of easy whacks at a large company who would like the business but clearly does not need it by a bunch of politicos who saw an easy, no lose PR spot.
Comment by zatoichi Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 9:16 am
My questions for all that support the forced wage issue are these: Where will it stop? If the big box companies were forced to pay a wage set by the Chicago City Council, at what level would the City Council stop? Candy stores? White Hen? Family owned businesses? (”you will be required to pay yourself $15.00 per hour).
Lastly, when did Joe Moore become the conscience of Chicago? Pay your employees this much, don’t sell foie gras. Joe Moore actually gets other aldermen to listen and agree with him? That’s what’s shocking.
Comment by John Lee Pettimore Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 9:25 am
zatoichi - that is a tired old argument. Yes, everyone should be paid a living wage. Perhaps if Mayor Daley wasn’t such a blowhard on education funding reform and property tax relief and actually lifted a finger to pass school funding reform, that living wage in Chicago would be lower. But a living wage has to start somewhere, and proponents are taking the fight to the enemy at it’s weakest link: Wal-Mart.
And you’re wrong about Wal-Mart not needing the business. Their entire business plan now is focused on getting into urban markets. After all, that’s where most of the people are.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 9:29 am
The test with this issue, is find some friends who are passionate supporters of the ordinace….buy them some beers (or more likely cheese and wine), get them relaxed, and then ask if they shop at Wal-Mart…especially if they need something like tires, not just a deal on chezits….
Whether they’ll be this honest in the voting booth I don’t know, but it sure looks like a loser to me.
Comment by Bill Baar Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 9:37 am
I can’t believe what hypocrites Alderman Solis,Cardenas and Flores are. The first two switched there votes and then hide behind Mayor Daley’s jacket and the other,Flores being inconventiently in China!
Solis made the statement today that hispanics are being short changed if Wal Mart can’t come to there neighborhood.Cardenas stated his reasoning was that his ward is changing for the better and he wanted hispanics to have a Wal Mart and $7 dollar jobs!
What sell outs these two are , along with Juan Rangel who kept quite. These men have sold out there community with there policy of only looking out for themselves, and displacing there community with new condos for yuppies to move into and displacing there Mexican breathens into Cicero,Berwyn or Melrose Park!!!
Cardenas,Solis Rangel and Flores are the typical “Useful Idiots” that Lenin and now yuppie developers described as being useful idiots to care there agenda in these communities, so that the Developers can move and price out these old communities of Mexican immigrants, who never, ever recieved any services,had poor and overcrowed schools, and now are being forced out by high real estate taxes on there properties. Solis dreams of replacing Guttierrez in Congress is over as of yesterday!!! His small mind in the first place was not adequate to be in Congress, but now his real true colors came out as a total Sell Out.His only hope is getting Laski’s postion, where Daley can help him, because he also will be challenged for Aldermann and will lose!
Cardenas also will be challenged and will get beat as another useful idiot, who refuses ,along with Solis,Rangel and Flores to represent there community!
Flores is also going to be challenged , but it will be a true white politician who has no use for him in his ward, because Flores can’t decide if he’s a yuppie,a latino or a wanna be white man!
Rangel and his corrupt organization,UNO will also be exposed and will be fall apart once Patrick Fitzgerald finds out what he has been doing with his group!
All to naught, because in 5 years, Pilsen will be the new Buck Town and will be lucky enough to have one Mexican standing and one Mexican Taco stand!!!
I now understand how Mexico lost California,Texas,Colorado,New Mexico,Arizona and Nevada, they had “so-called politicians” such as Danny Solis,Juan Rangel,Manny Flores and George Cardenas as there representitives, who looked out for there people and in the end sold there communities out to the higghest bidders!!!!
NO MAS A LA TRACION!SOLIS,RANGEL,CARDENAS y FLORES TRACIONAN A LOS MEJICANOS,y LOS POBRES!!!
Comment by Union Buster Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 11:13 am
Brothers and Sisters: Declare a 31 vote victory for the common man. Now let’s go help Duckworth, Seals and even Bean win seats in Congress. If we stick around the City Council any longer, they might figure out we really are paper tigers.
Comment by Samuel Chompers Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 1:51 pm
It does not amaze me not the least bit that Mayor Daley’s veto withstood an override because of the key votes from his Mexican-American Alderman, Danny Solis , George Cardenas and remarably absent Manny Flores.
Just when the Unions are trying to revive better working conditions for the common man and women who labor without benifits,without health insurance,without 401 K’s,and get injured at work and then get fired if they report there injury,the majority of people who are Mexican workers,legal and illegal,Solis,Cardenas and Flores vote for big bussiness over there rights for there people!!!
Manny Flores happens to be on vacation in China, that worker’s paradise where the average worker makes less than 20cents a day and also where forced labor camps are in place, and yet he won’t complain about the abuse of workers there and won’t come in to Chicago to vote against Daley and his Corporate buddies!Danny Slois and George Cardenas are both Alderman of predominiant Mexican neighborhoods, where 99% of the population are labors, who don’t the benifits of Union protection and many live check to check,hoping for one day to get union jobs.Many also left Mexico for better oppurtunities in the US, where a labor can earn his pay in dignity and be able to take care of his family and his retirement with the fruit of his labor.Instead they have come to Chicago to face the same problems they had in Mexico, which is the Mexican Politician, who sells his community out for a “MORDIDA”!
Honestly, how can Danny Solis or George Cardenas or Juan Rangel say they support there own people when there community is of most need of the help of unions to obtain fair wages for there labor,health benifits and retirement and job protection, and yet they vote for WalMart???
I can’t understand where they stand, because Pilsen does not need Wal Mart, they need health insurance,worker’s comp protection, and retirement plans with 401K’s for there people, but yet Cardenas and Solis say they need Pilsen?? My friends, what they(SOLIS,CARDENAS,RANGEL,FLORES) mean is welcome to Mexico, where corporate Slavery exists,where as americans you won’t get benifits,nor overtime,nor sick time, and where your job could be terminated when the bosses want!!Welcome to MEXICANA! No wonder corporate America love there illegal aliens!!!
Comment by SELL OUTS Thursday, Sep 14, 06 @ 6:24 pm