Labor leaders and Wal-Mart executives have reached a deal that would clear the way for the retail giant’s second store in Chicago, in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, a source close to the talks said today.
“There is a deal,” the source said, declining to provide details of the agreement. “It only applies to the Pullman Wal-Mart.”
The Chicago Federation of Labor, which has fought Wal-Mart’s plans in Chicago for years, has scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall.
The City Council’s Zoning Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday and could vote on the repeatedly deferred proposal for the Pullman Park development, which would include a Wal-Mart store.
But the committee’s chairman, Alderman Daniel Solis (25th), said it is possible that the final vote would be put off again.
“I think they still have to iron out some details,” Solis said, adding that he did not want to comment on specific aspects of the discussions this week between labor and company officials.
Labor leaders have called on the non-union company to pay higher wages and benefits for the right to open stores in the city. The only Wal-Mart in Chicago is on North Avenue, in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side.
Mayor Richard M. Daley has urged the approval of the company’s expansion plans, saying Chicago should welcome the jobs and tax revenue that new stores would generate. But many aldermen have balked for fear of angering politically active unions.
Thom Serafin, the longtime City Hall lobbyist for Wal-Mart, declined comment on the deal.
Just Build the store! More jobs in a neighborhood means less crime and eliminates burning 10.00 in gas to get a 10.00 pair of shoes.