Chicagoans overwhelmingly favor wag...

Chicagoans overwhelmingly favor wage and benefit standards for Wal-Mart and other "big-box" retailers, flat if it places jobs at risk, according to a just discovered poll commissioned by proponents to cause to deviate up the heat on the City Council.

Of the 500 registered voter overlooked last week, 84 percent want aldermen to require newly built and existing stores with at least 75000 square feet of space have a title toed by companies with $1 billion in annual gros receiptss to pay employees who work more than five hours a week at least $10 an hour in wages and $3 an hour in benefits.

Wal-Mart said last week that Chicago could be place of abode to as many as 20 recently made known Wal-Mart stores over the nearest five years, but only if the big coachman's seat ordinance is defeated. Sixty-nine percent of those measure and estimateed believe that's a chance worth taking.

The ordinance, co-signed by dint of 33 aldermen, has 90 percent support from African Americans. Six abroad of 10 of those viewed said they would view their local alderman les favorably if a City Council pay raise is approved without action forward the big box ordinance.

The catalogue of heads of 500 registered voters was bearinged by Washington D.C.-based Lake Research Partners and was commissioned and capitaled by the Grassroots Collaborative, a coalition of community organizations in Chicago. The catalogue of heads has a margin of error of plus or minus 44 percent

The 84 percent showing is identical to rises of a March referendum forward the issue in the 35th Ward.

"Aldermen are being given a tremendous opportunity to head into election season with a self-same very popular issue under their belt," said ed Shurna, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeles

fspielman@suntimes.com

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