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City Council Tries to Cockblock Wal-Mart
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 11, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 11, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Today, the City Council will be working to override a mayoral veto of the Health Care Security Act, which would as the NY Sun says, "require large supermarkets and big-box stores that sell food in the five boroughs to pay part of their employees' medical expenses for the first time." In other words, don't stick that Wal-Mart in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg vetoed the act, claiming that a federal law already requires private businesses to provide health care. Okay, Gothamist is not the sharpest tack in the toolbox at times, but this federal law... does anyone follow it? If so, then why don't more follow it? (If any readers can explain, please do in the comments.) Opponents of the act say that this will drive businesses away from NYC, while proponents (including Fernando Ferrer) are emphasizing that these workers need any benefits they can get. The Sun speaks with an NYU professor of public and health administration, who says, "I think what the City Council is trying to show is that it is sympathetic to people who don't have health insurance, which is a fine objective, but the fact is that they are trying to deal with a problem in a way that doesn't make a lot of economic sense," which is the kind of quote you'd expect from a conservative paper which has an editorial saying the act might as well be called the "Higher-Priced Groceries and Minority Unemployment Act." The higher-priced groceries angle comes about because if costs are higher for businesses, then so will the groceries; this bill would force existing businesses like Garden of Eden and Gourmet Garage to give their workers benefits.
In the Bronx, some people protested at a Bronx Target for selling Halloween costumes made in a sweatshop in Mexico. Wal-Mart has abandoned its NYC plans for now, plus what qualifies as a big box store and Gothamist on how Wal-Marts are nice when they are not in your backyard.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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