[Vision2020] RE: The Immorality of Blocking a Supercenter

Thu Jun 29 07:57:21 PDT 2006

Mark,

 Thank you for your response. I encourage you to a take  a deeper look at the facts rather then just accepting what union  organizations and their hired political operatives provide you.

  It states right on the door at Wal-Mart their starting wage is $8.70 an  hour-not that hard of information to find. You can verify that  information by asking any stock-boy around or friend you have working  for Wal-Mart. 

 Second, the rezoning was about a Supercenter.  To try and say it was not is intellectually dishonest. Your  organization was sending out emails, in mass, asking people to oppose  the rezone to stop the Supercenter. I got a few of them even. 

  Third, your information regarding wages and benefits is outdated and based on information at least 5 years old. 

  Fourth, Wal-Mart is the highest employer of Hispanics in the country.  It has more Black applicants to its store than any other company in  Chicago. It has taken more people off of welfare than any other company  in the history of the country. 

 Fifth, many companies,  including many I have worked for, count 34 or less hours as full time  so that employees can qualify for health insurance. Lowering the number  of hours makes it easier for people get benefits, not harder, Mark.  Think about that. A company trying to cheat employees out of full time  benefits would require more hours worked to get those benefits, not  less. Wal-Mart does not forbid people from working more than 32 hours a  week. 

 Sixth, adding a Supercenter does not prevent other  higher paying jobs from being created. Blocking business does persuade  smaller companies that cannot afford a no answer from trying. And one  can live on $8.70 an hour. In fact, thousands of people in Moscow are. 

  Seventh, yes, there are lawsuits against a multi-billion company. If  you had a billion dollars there would be lawsuits against you too,  every kind you think of and many more you would have never thought of.  In fact, I know of few major chain stores that don't have major  lawsuits against them. Does the company that made your car ever get  sued? Yet you still drive it? The rubber in your tires was made with  bonded child labor in a third world country in South America, as was  the beans that made your latte. The computer you are using was made  using diamonds harvested through forced child labor in Africa. Want to  know where the money goes when you pay for your gas? So get off that  holier than thou path, Solomon. 

 We need jobs. We need jobs  that pay more than $6.50 an hour. I don't expect the City to do it, but  at least it could get the hell out of the way so somebody else can. 

  Best,

  Donovan J Arnold

Mark Solomon <msolomon at moscow.com> wrote:    RE: The Immorality of Blocking a  Supercenter  Donovan,

  I'll  echo John Dickinson's comments about the substance of the rezone  proceedings. Yes, we all knew that WalMart was part of the picture, but  it was outside the framework of the rezone proceeding to discuss any  particular retailer. The discussion and decision were about whether  that 77-acre parcel should be developed as Motor Business. While we  (NoSuperWalmart) were fully prepared to have a full discussion about  Walmart itself, that forum was not the appropriate place.

  As for your letter to Council, many of your factual assertions  about Walmart are misleading or incomplete.

  I  have tried to verify your claim that Walmart has a starting wage of $8  to $9, but I can't find any information to verify those numbers. 
  http://www.pbs.org/itvs/storewars/stores3.html

   In  any event, starting wage is not really an appropriate measure of  whether a company provides the type of employment Moscow wants or  needs.  You also have to look at benefits, and as you know  Walmart's benefits have been criticized all over the country, including  by Republicans in Idaho's state house.  You have to look at  whether the job provides enough hours to bring home meaningful  wage.  Walmart considered full-time work to be 32 hours per week,  and has announced plans to provide substantially fewer hours to workers  by shifting to a part-time (fewer than 28 hour) workforce.  You  also have to look at the ability to advance in the job over time.   According to the PBS documentary on Frontline, "Wal-Mart employees  start at the same salary as unionized employees in similar lines of  work, they make 25 percent less than their unionized counterparts after  two years at the job."  In fact, a corporate communication  released last October actually complained that
 workers who remain with  the company for seven years are a drain on its resources.

  In  Moscow, we need jobs that will allow residents to work enough to  support their families and advance through hard work and  experience.  Walmart does not provide those types of jobs.   And Walmart is likely to hurt businesses that do provide real full time  employment and benefits to workers.  If you fairly consider the  issue of jobs and employment, you are likely to find that Walmart would  be bad, not good for Moscow. 

  And that  does not even take into account the workers in American manufacturing  who have lost their livelihood as a result of Walmart, or the workers  in developing company who toil in sweatshops to make the stuff that  Walmart sells.   (Morality doesn't really stop at the County  line, does it?)

  Your claim that Walmart  helps the elderly and minorities has no support and is contrary to  documented evidence.  In fact, an internal Walmart document  released last October shows that the company is focusing on hiring  young and able workers precisely so that they can avoid health and  other expenses.  The memo, written by WalMart's executive vice  president, proposes that the company take steps to discourage unhealthy  job applicants, by making sure that "all jobs to include some physical  activity." http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/27/BUG3JFEL7F1.DTL

  Walmarts'  record with regard to diversity and equal rights is not good  either.  There are class action law suits by Wal-Mart workers  alleging discrimination based on gender and race all over the  county.  There are charges that Walmart engaged in racial  profiling against its customers after suspicious incidents in several  states.   If you consider racism, sexism and ageism to be  immoral, then you should be glad that Walmart has chosen not to build a  super center in our town.
  http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/02/Tampabay/Racial_profiling_fear.shtml

  Mark S.

  From: "John Dickinson"  <johnd at moscow.com>  Subject: [Vision2020] RE: The Immorality  of Blocking a Supercenter  Cc:  Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 17:26:25  -0700  To: "'Donovan Arnold'"  <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>,  <aaronament at moscow.com>,           <lpall at moscow.com>,  <bstout at ci.moscow.id.us>,           <blambert at ci.moscow.id.us>,  <jweber at ci.moscow.id.us>,           <nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us>,  <vision2020 at moscow.com>  
  Donovan,  
  I  disagree with most of what you say, mostly because you begin many of  your concerns with premises that I disagree with, so I will concentrate  on just a few of your points.  
  Recent  City Council actions regarded the rezoning of a large chink of land  into a single type of commercial zone. The Planning and Zoning  Commission had reviewed this request earlier. The decision by City  Council was the same as the decision by P&Z. I think that all of us  expected the developers to return with a more interesting way of using  the entire property (that was the suggestion of P&Z and Council).  As others have said, I don't think that any particular development  required the entire property.  
  The  vote was not about Wal-Mart (which could not be mentioned at the  meetings). I would have loved to have gotten to the stage where we  could have discussed the design of a specific store - we have never  gotten to that point. Informal conversations I have had with my  brother, Pete Dickinson - Pullman City Planner, and others have  enlightened me to the variety of designs that Wal-Mart (and I assume  other stores of this type) use.  
  I  don't think we can be accused of being anti-Wal-Mart, Moscow has a  Wal-Mart. There are discussions about sizes of retail stores. I think  discussions are good; there are many points of view to consider.  

  I  don't think that Moscow is anti-business. I don't believe that it is  responsible government to say Yes to every development without question  - whether it be residential or commercial. I thought that the results  of both the P&Z and the Council were positive messages to the  developers. Their public statements led me to this conclusion.  
  We  cannot preserve Moscow's character by freezing the community. But I do  think that the community can and should continue to ask questions about  every development, lot division, street improvement, budget line item,  i.e. everything - because this is your community and we all want to  pass it on to our children's children in a form that they would be  proud to live in.  
  John Dickinson  Moscow City Council  

---------------------------------
  From: Donovan Arnold  [mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com]  Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 8:27  AM  To:  aaronament at moscow.com; lpall at moscow.com; bstout at ci.moscow.id.us;  blambert at ci.moscow.id.us; jweber at ci.moscow.id.us; johnd at moscow.com;  nchaney at ci.moscow.id.us; vision2020 at moscow.com  Subject: The Immorality of  Blocking a Supercenter  

  Dear Mayor Chaney and members of the City  Council,  
  I  am writing you regarding the recent decision of the City to block a  Wal-Mart Supercenter. I believe such a decision is damaging to most of  the residents of Moscow and the surrounding community, but particularly  its most vulnerable for several reasons.  
  First,  Wal-Mart has a starting wage of $8-$9 an hour. This is a significantly  higher wage then what other grocery stores, retail outlets, and even  the City have established as a starting wage. Even the Co-Op pays 18%  less than Wal-Mart. I challenge the Mayor and members of the City  Council, or any resident to find a grocery or general retail store that  pays a higher starting wage in our local community. With the City  rejecting the businesses that pay higher wages, the City is expressing  that it believes $5.15 is an acceptable wage for the people of Moscow.  A Wal-Mart Supercenter would provide more jobs that pay higher wage  while also requiring other employees to pay their workers a similar  livable wage if they desire to keep quality workers.  
     Second,  a Wal-Mart Supercenter provides goods and services not otherwise  offered in the Moscow area. Millions of dollars are lost every year to  Pullman, Lewiston, Spokane, and the Internet because the City is  blocking retail outlets from selling those products. A Supercenter  would offer more goods and services to the people of Moscow while  keeping tax dollars and jobs here in Moscow where they belong.  
     Third,  A Wal-Mart Supercenter would offer goods and services at a lower cost  to members of the community because it can move high volume and has the  infrastructure to do so efficiently. With an average salary of only  $24,000 a year for Moscow residents, and an annual household income of  about $30,000 for Latah households, costs need to be lower, not higher.  Moscow residents have to pay more for goods and services already  because of a lack of competition, the cost of shipping a low volume of  goods a long distance, and a lack of capital in investments in roads  and infrastructure to do it effectively. To punish Moscow residents  with an added transportation tax by making them drive to another town  to get the items they need at an affordable price is another  unnecessary burden inflicted on the people by the City.    
     Fourth,  Moscow loses even more jobs. When Moscow blocks one business that puts  resources into trying to locate here, it blocks two more that decide  not to attempt as a result. The City has developed a far reaching  reputation that it does not want businesses here. That hurts the  residents of Moscow.    
     Fifth,  we lose anyway. The City of Moscow will simply lose to Pullman, Latah,  or Whitman County. We will still have all the negative impacts of  having a Wal-Mart Supercenter but without the tax dollars, jobs, and  surrounding businesses that prosper from close proximity to the new  store.    
     Finally,  I think there are diversity and equality issues that are being ignored.  The people that have the most difficulty getting and keeping a job at a  decent wage are minorities, the elderly, and the disabled. Wal-Mart has  successfully employed these individuals in higher numbers than anyone  else. Many small businesses do not high the elderly and disabled in any  greater numbers than they have to because they fear medical and  retirement costs. Minorities have always been discriminated against. I  think it sends a clear message to other businesses in the community  when the most successful retail outlet in the world does so by hiring  in higher numbers people other businesses won't hire because of age,  ethnicity, or disability. The city has a moral obligation to not bar  businesses that employ and give opportunities to those other businesses  only hire out of fear of the law, rather than acknowledging that they  have real value and skills that make a business
 successful. For the  City to block the greatest opportunities for the elderly, poor,  disabled, and minorities is discrimination. The only people allowed by  our City leaders to make a decent living wage in our community appears  to be the wealthy members that have the capital to create and expand  their own businesses and are allowed to employ everyone else for a  slave wage of $5.15 an hour.  

     I  ask that the Mayor and members of the City Council reconsider and allow  a Supercenter into our community. Blocking commerce hurts both the  seller and buyer, and the buyers are the residents of Moscow. Blocking  higher starting wages in our community hurts the poorest. Shutting  down, slowing down, removing, and blocking employers that hire the  disabled, elderly, and minorities, hurts the elderly, disabled, and  minorities. I hope you will consider these facts as the county and  University lose population and the number of people in Moscow continue  to live a lower quality of life in comparison to rest of the state and  nation.  

  Best Regards,  
  Donovan J Arnold  Moscow Resident    

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