Shame On Wal-Mart

Stop Worker Abuse Now!

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Wal-Mart

Always Low ~~Prices~~ Wages, Always!

Wal-Mart cut a sweetheart deal with the Blue Ridge Mall Redevelopment company.

The redevelopment company sought, and was granted, roughly $26 Million in TIF (Tax Increment Financing) to level the Blue Ridge Mall and make way for a Wal-Mart Supercenter. In a Kansas City Business Journal article titled “TIF Commission endorses Blue Ridge Mall Plan” October 14, 2004, the owner of the mall, said it anticipates the redevelopment to provide 1,200 construction jobs.

The redevelopment company has leveled the mall to make way for the 200,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is now under construction.

Here’s where the taxpayers get cheated! Wal-Mart has given a good deal of the construction work to out-of-town contractors like Charter Commercial Drywall, a subcontractor from Texas. Not only do these contractors import their workers from outside the area and pay wages and benefits well below those which prevail in our community, what little these people do make goes straight back to their own home towns. Thus, the impact of this construction project is largely negative as local workers are denied the opportunity to work and earn fair wages. Many of the 1,200 good paying construction jobs the taxpayers were supposed to benefit from, went to out-of-town contractors who pay wages and benefits well below those which prevail in our community, not the local craftsmen who raise their children here, pay taxes here, and support our local merchants.

The taxpayers in our community have gotten a rotten deal! We have granted roughly $26 Million in TIF money and for what? 1,200 construction jobs, many of which are going to imported labor, and the estimated 1,600 full-time jobs paying roughly $18,000 a year.

Enough is enough! With one hand Wal-Mart is benefiting from tax breaks, with the other they are importing construction workers and cheating our local economy. Let’s send a clear message to all greedy corporations like Wal-Mart by taking our hard earned dollars and shopping somewhere else! Let’s send the message loud and clear, “If Wal-Mart takes our handout and then cheats our local economy, then we won’t shop in Wal-Mart’s stores!”

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Let's send Wal-Mart a clear message! Take the pledge, "I won't shop Wal-Mart either!" Include your name and the city in which you live. If you want to receive updates, please include your e-mail address. The Carpenters’ District Council of Kansas City & Vicinity does not sell to, or share any personally identifiable information about website users with third parties, however, we will send Wal-Mart the name and city of everyone who pledges not to shop in Wal-Mart stores. Other information that you provide us, such as, address, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses etc. WILL NOT be forwarded to Wal-Mart, or anyone else for that matter!
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