Wal-Mart Hard Sell in Big Apple
The retailer wants to do business in the boroughs -- but the City Council has passed a benefits bill aimed at grocers that would make that harder.
By Paul Lieberman, Times Staff Writer
NEW YORK — In April, John Menzer, chief executive of Wal-Mart International, enjoyed one of this city's traditional honors, ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
But that's about the only way New York has been inviting of late to the giant retailer, which so far has no stores in the five boroughs.
This year, the City Council refused to grant a zoning variance for what would have been the first, in Queens, citing the pay and benefits Wal-Mart gives its employees.
This month, the New York City Central Labor Council staged a rally outside a Greenwich Village school urging parents not to buy back-to-school supplies at the nonunionized company's stores in surrounding areas. And last week the City Council voted 46-1 to require all large food retailers to offer a minimum level of healthcare benefits.
Although that legislation did not name any retailer, and could affect about 12,000 employees working at large grocery stores, its sponsor, Councilwoman Christine C. Quinn, said one goal was to create a barrier that would keep Wal-Mart out of the city unless it increased health benefits for workers....
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-stores21aug21,0,1374340.story?coll=la-home-nation 
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