More Elected Officials Announce Their Opposition to Wal-mart

Wal-mart Faces Growing Resistance As More Sign Up to Say ‘No’ To Job Killing Megastore

Wal-mart Free NYC today announced today that Councilmembers Letitia James, Robert Jackson, Dr. Mathieu Eugene and Jumaane Williams have declared their opposition to Wal-mart and will fight to keep the job-killing mega store out of New York City.

The elected officials join a growing list of elected officials, community leaders, clergy, and small businesses throughout the borough who oppose the Arkansas-based big box retailer’s plans to move into Brooklyn, and displace homegrown stores and good local jobs. 

Just this week National Organization of Women’s New York City chapter announced their opposition to Wal-mart saying ,“This is an employer who takes advantage of its workforce at every opportunity. The women of New York City deserve better.”

Councilmember Letitia James said: “Small businesses are the engines of the New York City economy, creating jobs, spending locally and keeping our dollars in the community. Wal-mart could put those small businesses out of business, costing us valuable jobs, as well as hurting our economy while doing so. For these reasons, New York must say no to Walmart.”

Councilmember Robert Jackson said: “Mom and pops need Wal-mart about as much as New York needs another blizzard. Wal-mart puts small businesses out of business, especially in tough times like these.”

Councilmember Dr. Mathieu Eugene said: “We need to do everything possible to help small businesses thrive. I am concerned that Wal-mart coming to Brooklyn will hurt businesses already struggling in this tough economy.”

Councilmember Jumaane Williams said: "Wal-mart is selling false promises. They promise jobs, but they kill three jobs for every two they 'create.' And the jobs they 'create' pay, on average, 18 percent less than the jobs they destroy. My community deserves jobs with livable wages. They shouldn't have to settle."

Studies have shown that Wal-mart destroys small businesses and jobs when it opens up in urban neighborhoods. A study published by the Center for Urban Research and Learning Loyola University Chicago found that after a Wal-mart store opened in the Austin neighborhood in 2006, over 25% of area businesses closed. Stores that were near Wal-mart were “more likely to go out of business eliminating the equivalent of about 300 full time jobs—about as many as Wal-mart initially added to the area.”

An author of that study found that, Wal-mart stores absorb sales from other city stores without significantly expanding the market.” In addition, the study found that there was no increase in retail activity or employment opportunities.

About Wal-mart Free NYC

Wal-mart Free NYC is a coalition of workers, small business owners, community leaders, clergy and elected officials who are committed to increasing economic opportunities, preserving local businesses, and creating more jobs in communities across New York’s five boroughs.

Wal-mart IMPACT STUDIES

“The Impact of an Urban Wal-Mart Store on Area Businesses: An Evaluation of One Chicago Neighborhood’s Experience.” Davis, Julie, David Merriman, Lucia Samayoa, Brian Flanagan, Ron Baiman, and Joe Persky, December 2009. Center for Urban Research and Learning Loyola University Chicago.

Available online at http://luc.edu/curl/pdfs/Media/WalMartReport21010_01_11.pdf.

“The Effects of Wal-mart on Local Labor Markets.” David Neumark, Junfu Zhang, and Stephen Ciccarella. October 2005. Public Policy Institute of California.

Available online at: http://www.businessweek.com/pdfs/2005/david_neumark.pdf

“The Effect of Wal-mart on Businesses in Host Towns and Surrounding Towns in Iowa.” Kenneth Stone. Iowa State University. November 1988.

Available online at: http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/faculty/stone/Effect%20of%20Walmart%20-%201988%20paper%20scanned.pdf

National Reform Groups Announce Significant Support for Public Financing of Elections in New York...

Groups Including NOW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Rock the Vote and People for the American Way Agree, 2011 is The Time to Reform Elections in NY

Exactly One Year After Citizens United, Momentum Growing to Limit Influence of Lobbyists, Special Interests

On the one year anniversary of the Citizens United decision, more than a dozen national reform groups, including the National Organization of Women (NOW), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Rock the Vote and People for the American Way, announced in a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo that they were not only endorsing public financing of campaigns in New York, but will be actively providing significant support to pass the much needed reform to New York’s outdated campaign finance laws. The letter from the prominent national groups adds to the growing momentum for public financing in New York.

“For years, states have served as a laboratory for restoring our government to one that is of, by, and for the people. Passing a Fair Elections system in New York would not only be good for New Yorkers, but would create momentum at the state and federal level to pass legislation that would put elections back in the hands of voters,” said Nick Nyhart, co-founder and CEO of Public Campaign.

“With the record breaking and anonymous spending in the mid-term elections, special interests' grip on Washington is tightening and further drowning out the voices of average Americans. We need to change the way we pay for our political campaigns so elected officials work for we the people, not the special interests who paid for their campaigns," said Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause.

The full list of signers of the letter to Governor Cuomo are:

o National Organization for Women

o Rock the Vote

o Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

o People For the American Way

o Alliance for Justice

o Americans for Campaign Reform

o Brennan Center for Justice

o Common Cause

o Democracy 21

o DEMOS

o Democracy Matters

o 9to5, National Association of Working Women

o Public Campaign

o Public Citizen

A public funding system with small donor matching funds similar to New York City’s will dramatically reduce candidates’ dependence on special interest donors and lobbyists’ political contributions. Public funding would also begin to reduce the public’s cynicism about elected officials since the public will know they are only accountable primarily to the voters- and not to special interests and donors. With public funding, elections are not just about raising money, but more about a candidate's ability and policy positions.

The full letter is below:

Rally at City Hall for Paid Sick Time Bill with Gloria Steinem - November 17th, 2009

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Gloria Steinem's Call to Action; Chamber's Fuzzy Math

Just before the City Council held its first hearings on the Paid Sick Time act yesterday, Gloria Steinem joined over a hundred people who rallied on the City Hall steps to support the groundbreaking bill:

The Daily News, the Post, El Diario, and WNYC covered the action. From the News:

The bill would mandate up to nine days paid leave for people at firms with more than 10 workers, or up to five days at smaller firms.

It has widespread support in the City Council, but Mayor Bloomberg hasn’t embraced it for smaller companies, making for a potential showdown.

Proponents said leave would not only preserve individuals’ health, but help curb the spread of ailments such as the H1N1 virus.

“Paid sick days is a matter of basic fairness,” said Quenia Abreu of the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

The sides had wildly differing cost estimates: Kevin Miller of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research said at least 850,000 workers would receive leave under the law, costing $332 million. But a city business coalition pegged the annual cost at $8.8 billion.

If that $8.8 billion figure sounds high it’s because, well, it is. Crain’s New York Insider did the math:

Crain’s: About That $7.7 Billion …

The paid-sick-leave bill being debated today by the City Council would cost employers $8 billion annually, or about 1.6% of the gross city product, according to the city’s main chambers of commerce. But that assumes an average hourly wage of $27.44 and includes all private-sector workers, not just those lacking sick days. Proponents estimate the annual cost at $332 million in wages and lost productivity, about $7.7 billion less. They point to an Institute for Women’s Policy Research study that factors in only those lacking paid sick time.