In 2006, outside of corruption, the biggest local issue was the big-box living wage ordinace-- large stores such as Wal-Mart, Lowes, and Target would've been forced by city ordinance to pay their employees a higher, "living wage."
Critics of the ordinance, including Mayor Richard Daley, who vetoed the ordinance, called the Chicago big-box living a jobs-killing machine.
Unions, such as the Service Employees Internatial Union--they run the anti Wal-Mart group Wal-Mart Watch, vowed revenge on the alderman who didn't vote the way they wanted.
From Rich Miller's Capitol Fax Blog:
The Service Employees International Union is one organization trying to flex its muscle in February. It has targeted incumbents in several wards -including Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) for opposition to the Big Box ordinance - and plans to place its support behind candidates considered more supportive of key union issues. SEIU officials are still in the process of determining which candidates will receive their attention. The SEIU is also recruiting “block captains” from its 78,000 Chicago members to canvass their neighborhoods for the elections, the first time the union has done so.
Technorati tags: business big box Wal-Mart target Chicago Illinois Politics unions elections Daley seiu
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