WISCONSIN SITE FIGHT: DEBATING WHETHER TO SUBSIDIZE THE BIGGEST COMPANY IN THE WORLD
Subsidizing Wal-Mart project is fuel for debate [Washburn County Register (Wisc.)]
SHELL LAKE – The Washburn County Board made a motion Tuesday, Sept. 16, to meet with the city of Spooner and legal counsel to work on a joint recommendation for helping keep the Wal-Mart project in Spooner going.
Wal-Mart has been dealing with the city and county for a few years on building a store in Spooner, on CTH H between Hwys. 63 and 53. The company’s representatives recently met with the city administrators, the county and the Department of Transportation to let them know the expenses for infrastructure improvements at the site were beyond budget, and had gotten to be around $4 million. According to the executive committee, Wal-Mart was having trouble justifying some things within the budget that were putting the project in jeopardy, and wondered if there was any way the town and county could help.
At the committee’s meeting the week before, Supervisor Tom Mackie had said he was under the impression the company needed $1 million from the city, county or both to continue.
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Posted by Luke West on Thursday, September 25 | 0 comments | Permalink
OHIO SITE FIGHT: VICTORY IN ETNA
Wal-Mart scraps Etna Twp. plans [Newark Advocate (Ohio)]
ETNA TOWNSHIP—In a sudden turn of events, Wal-Mart announced Wednesday it no longer plans on building a store on Ohio 310.
The announcement came days after Wal-Mart and several other parties reached an agreement to end litigation blocking the retail giant’s efforts to build a store there.
“Wal-Mart has announced that it has decided not to move forward with the proposed supercenter site on (Ohio) 310,” said Jason Wetzel, the company’s senior public affairs manager.
When asked why, Wetzel said, “Our company announced last year it would slow expansion in response to shareholders’ input and to focus resources on existing stores.”
The move comes days after the release of an agreed entry of dismissal, whereby township resident Gilbert Guttentag, Wal-Mart, the Etna Board of Trustees and the Langel family, who owns the property Wal-Mart had contracted to build the store, ended five lawsuits.
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Posted by Luke West on Thursday, September 25 | 0 comments | Permalink
ILLINOIS SITE FIGHT: VICTORY IN TINLEY PARK
Developer pulls plug on Wal-Mart, retail center proposed for Tinley [SouthTown Star (Ill.)]
A Chicago-based developer has withdrawn plans to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter near Tinley Park’s Brookside Glen subdivision.
Maybe it’s the dismal economy.
Maybe it’s the outcry from angry homeowners who have rallied against having the largest retailer in the world within a few hundred feet of their back yards.
Aetna Development Corp. president George Hanus isn’t saying.
He only said Wednesday he has withdrawn his application for Prairie View Crossings, a 370,000-square-foot retail center anchored by a 24-hour Wal-Mart.
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Posted by Luke West on Thursday, September 25 | 0 comments | Permalink
Weekly Update for Elected Officials: Sept. 24, 2008
Check out this week’s issue of the Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials – a compilation of Wal-Mart news from across the country and beyond.
This week’s issue begins with reports of price gouging on the part of Wal-Mart. What’s truly abhorrent about these reports, however, is that they are being made by the very people affected most by the recent cavalcade of hurricanes to batter the Gulf coast. The Arkansas News Bureau and The Consumerist have more on these stories.
You’ll also find major news on the legal front. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed its second lawsuit against Wal-Mart in less than three weeks. The first involves the Americans with Disabilities Act in Illinois; the second involves age discrimination against a 67-year-old optician in Missouri. In addition to the EEOC lawsuits, Wal-Mart will now have to face another class action wage/hour lawsuit. Salvas v. Wal-Mart was originally certified as a class action back in 2004. Since then the case has gone back and forth through the Massachusetts court system, eventually being decertified and winding up in front of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on appeal. Well, the SJC released its opinion this week, ruling that the decertification was improper and that the lawsuit should be reinstated as a class action. A trial is possible, which could cost Wal-Mart hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid wages and damages. The Boston Globe and Boston Herald have the story.
Also check out the Product and Food Safety Report, where you’ll find stories on BPA (and a class action lawsuit regarding the chemical that includes Wal-Mart), dangerous soccer goals and baby cribs sold at Wal-Mart, and a pet food recall involving Purina products sold at the retailer.
And finally, check out our “Stateside” and “Wal-Mart International” sections to find out what’s going on with Wal-Mart around the country and across the globe.
Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials [September 24, 2008]
Posted by Corey Himrod on Wednesday, September 24 | 2 comments | Permalink
IOWA SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART GETS GREEN LIGHT IN IOWA CITY
Wal-Mart gets final OK [Iowa City Press-Citizen]
The Iowa City Council cleared the way for a new Wal-Mart Supercenter, approving the company’s proposal at a Tuesday night meeting.
The third consideration to amend an existing zoning agreement passed 6-1, with Councilor Mike Wright dissenting.
The existing agreement stipulates that multiple businesses exist at the site. The council amended it to allow a single business to occupy the site.
During the meeting, Wallace Taylor, attorney for Iowa City Stop Wal-Mart, said the company shouldn’t be allowed to violate the terms of a zoning agreement with the city.
Also see: I.C. Council OKs new Wal-Mart plans [The Gazette (Iowa)] and City Council approves rezoning for Super Wal-Mart [Daily Iowan]
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Posted by Luke West on Wednesday, September 24 | 0 comments | Permalink
EEOC Files Second Discrimination Lawsuit Against Wal-Mart In As Many Weeks
For the second time in as many weeks, Wal-Mart has been accused of violating federal law by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In the first lawsuit filed earlier this month in Illinois, the EEOC accused Wal-Mart of violating employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This time around, the suit involves not disability but age discrimination. The ADEA - or Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 - prohibits employment discrimination against persons 40 years of age or older in the United States. After an investigation, the EEOC determined Yvonne Loskot was fired from the retailer’s De Soto, Missouri, store because she was too old and made too much money.
According to the EEOC complaint filed in federal court in Missouri’s eastern district, Loskot was 67 when she was fired. According to a story from the St. Louis Business Journal, Wal-Mart has claimed Loskot was let go for violating an unspecified company policy.
Loskot, who worked for Wal-Mart for a decade, earned $18 an hour as a certified optician, making her the highest-paid employee in the De Soto store’s optical department.
Agency accuses Wal-Mart of age discrimination [CNN Money]
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Tuesday, September 23 | 7 comments | Permalink
WISCONSIN SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART UPGRADING OLD STORE AS OPPOSED TO BUILDING NEW ONE
Renovated Wal-Mart in store for Bellevue [Green Bay Press Gazette (Wisc.)]
BELLEVUE — Renovation of the Wal-Mart at 2292 Main St. will replace former plans to build a new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Bellevue’s business park at Brown County GV and Wisconsin 172.
Wal-Mart contacted Bellevue — and the city of Green Bay — with its plans to turn the Main Street location into a Supercenter, which would include significant renovations to both the interior and exterior of the building. The store would remain open during construction before being completed in early 2010.
Because the expansion calls for a 40,000-square-foot addition and changes to the parking at the current location, 95 percent of the Supercenter will be located in the village but the remaining 5 percent is considered Green Bay.
Approvals will be needed from both municipalities.
“The village is excited to welcome the new Supercenter to the community,” said Craig Beyl, village president. “Enhancing the appearance of the current store will be the catalyst for new development in this area. It has been a pleasure to work with the city to bring this exciting project to fruition.”
Wal-Mart announced plans in May to hold off on constructing a new facility at Bellevue’s business park due to economic concerns.
“Basically, it’s just due to market conditions and the overall economy,” said Aaron Oppenheimer, village administrator. “It’s obviously a lot less cost to renovate an existing store than to build a new store.”
The shift in plans helps the village address other concerns that may have come with building a new store as well, he said, including dealing with an abandoned building or trying to find a new tenant.
The plans have not gone through any approvals yet, but Oppenheimer said they’d like to have everything approved by January to start construction in the spring.
Because the project crosses borders, a Planned Development District will mostly be crafted so both communities can have their own zoning regulations apply, Oppenheimer said.
Posted by Luke West on Tuesday, September 23 | 0 comments | Permalink
OHIO SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART DOWNSIZING IN ETNA
Deal gives Wal-Mart chance to build smaller Etna store [Newark Advocate (Ohio)]
ETNA TOWNSHIP—A series of lawsuits involving Wal-Mart’s efforts to build a store in the township have been resolved.
Etna Township resident Gilbert Guttentag, Wal-Mart, the Etna Board of Trustees and the Langel family, which owns property on the east side of Ohio 310 where Wal-Mart contracted to build a store, have signed off on an agreement to dismiss five lawsuits. Some of them pitted Guttentag against the Etna Township Board of Appeals, and two involved Guttentag and the Langels.
As part of the agreement, Wal-Mart agreed to submit an amended zoning permit to build a smaller, 144,000-square-foot store.
“One of the components is Wal-Mart is going to ask for a smaller-sized store on the site,” said attorney Scott Hayes, who represents the Langels.
The retail giant could submit the amended permit to the township’s zoning office sometime this week, Hayes said.
Also see: Etna, OH. One Man’s Legal Challenge Leads To A 30% Cut In Wal-Mart’s Plan [Battlemart Blog]
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Posted by Luke West on Tuesday, September 23 | 0 comments | Permalink
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