Walmart Debate Heats Up

Battle lines are quickly being drawn regarding the future of Walmart in New York City.

On one side is a loose coalition of labor unions, a group of mostly progressive elected officials and small business owners. On the other are bargain-hunting shoppers, a group of mostly conservative lawmakers and, of course, Walmart itself. 

And in a twist on the usual public policy battles of years past, even the prize fought over by these dueling campaigns — the swaying of city public opinion for or against Walmart — is up for debate.

No matter how elusive the end goal, the rhetoric from both sides heated up markedly in recent days.

In a statement released today, the president of the New York City Central Labor Council, John Ahern, compared the retail giant to a "predator whose mission is to destroy the fabric of a proud union city.”

On the other side of the political spectrum, conservative blogger Pamela Geller compared the city's reaction to the Park51 mosque near the World Trade Center site with the response to Walmart's plans for the location in the five boroughs.

"No Wal-Mart, but taxpayer funds for a 15-story 'victory mosque' in a building destroyed in the 911 attacks," Geller wrote. 

At the recently completed Conservative Political Action Committee conference, Geller introduced fellow conservative Councilman Dan Halloran, who said he expected a backlash against his pro-Walmart position.

"I know in the coming weeks I will be attacked again and again because I supported Walmart’s right to come to New York City," said Halloran, R-Whitestone.

Indeed after weeks of sitting mostly on the sidelines while Walmart made an aggressive public relations push, including a Web site devoted to city residents and a flurry of polls purporting to show strong support for a five boroughs location,  labor groups showed signs of going on the offensive.

No one is questioning the need for more jobs in a city harmed by the recession but Walmart has demonstrated time and again that they destroy the communities they propose to serve. 

"We cannot afford to have an employer of any kind, much less one the size of Walmart, subject our citizens to the miserable labor standards this firm has imposed at its sites throughout the United States," Ahern said.