If City Council goes ahead and passes the "big-box" ordinance, it would show a couple of things. The first, of course, is that despite bad schools, the lack of black faces on construction sites and double-digit unemployment rates in black neighborhoods, unions still have a firm grip on this town.
Under the proposed ordinance, superstores such as Wal-Mart and Target would be mandated to pay employees at least $10 an hour and $3 in benefits by July 1, 2010.
But underneath the feel-good rhetoric about all those poor black folks needing to make a living wage, the real battle with Wal-Mart is between the superstore and unions that are trying to organize its workers.
That's reason enough for union members to want to stick it to Wal-Mart. But what about the thousands of black people who are stuck in the unemployment line?
I put that question to the Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Catholic Church because, quite frankly, I was surprised he was supporting this ordinance.
"We need to have jobs where people can work and still not be in poverty," he told me. "Wal-Mart has billions of dollars in profits. You should share your profits with your workers. I'm totally against this craziness that any job is better than no job."
Who else hires unskilled dropouts?
Obviously, Pfleger has devoted his life to advocating on behalf of black people, but sometimes the positions he takes seem a little too paternalistic.
http://suntimes.com/output/mitchell/cst-nws-mitch23.html#
Mary Mitchell is pretty much on time (for a change) with most of this column but that's quite an understatement regarding Father Flaky. "Condescending" is the word she is looking for.
