Clout St: South Side Wal-Mart vote delayed again

Another stall tactic? Well Wal-Mart supporters want to be sure that there will be enough votes to advance beyond the zoning committee and eventually the full city council. Enough to continue stalling with the excuse of getting labor and Wal-Mart to talk through there differences as was indicated in Clout City.

A key zoning vote on a controversial Far South Side Wal-Mart has been delayed again as labor unions continue to talk to the giant retailer.

Ald. Daniel Solis, chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, said today that he's putting off Thursday's planned vote on the Pullman Park development at 111th Street and the Bishop Ford Freeway to give the two sides more time to negotiate.

Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, whose ward includes the proposed 180-acre development, joined project developer Park Bank Initiatives in asking for the delay, Solis said.

Union leaders wanted Thursday’s vote to go ahead, contending Wal-Mart has not been willing to meet to discuss the company’s labor practices. The unions want the retailer to agree on a living wage ordinance putting minimum wages at the store above $11 an hour.

"We are puzzled by the decision to postpone the Zoning Committee vote on the proposed Wal-Mart development in Pullman," Chicago Federation of Labor Secretary-Treasurer Jorge Ramirez said in an e-mail. "Postponing the vote does nothing to bring Wal-Mart back to discuss residents’ concerns about wages and community relations."