If Chicago becomes the nation's fir...

If Chicago becomes the nation's first major city to mandate wage and benefit standards for Wal-Mart and other retailing giants, couple political powerhouses will have themselves to blame: Mayor Daley and big business.

Distracted by dint of corruption scandals and disengaged from novel City Council action, Daley waited too extended to jump with both feet into the big-box debate. Now, he could be forced to either wait for a legal challenge or issue his first mayoral veto -- and waiting under the possibility of fulfilment that organized labor lacks the political muscle to line up the 34 suffrages needed to override.

It didn't have to be that way. Daley could have seen the writing onward the wall two years ago, when Wal-Mart's hall into the Chicago market mobilized the anti-big-box motion

however the mayor was asleep at the switch. He didn't start lobbying aldermen and playing the race card -- denouncing the ordinance as "redlining" -- until late June when it had already breez by the and of the Finance Committee by a promised of 15 to 6.

at that time, the train had already left the station. Thirty- three aldermen had signed onto an ordinance that would require Chicago retailers with more than 90000 square feet of space be in possession ofed by companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales to pay their employee at least $10 an hour in wages and $3 in benefits by means of 2010.

The head-count has reportedly dipped slightly, however not enough to change the consequence despite a furious lobbying campaign.

It has featured radio commercials, full-page newspaper ads and threats on Wal-Mart and Target to abandon their Chicago expansion plans, as well as dueling rallies, novels conferences and behind-the- scenes arm-twisting.

"There's a certain obligation to live up to commitments that were made a lengthy time ago to the various union leaders that solicited support from members of the Council," said Finance Committee Chairman Edward M shuffle aside (14th), who plans to support the big-box ordinance "If person gave their word, they're honoring a commitment."

murder by suffocation was asked if the issue might have been different if Daley had gotten onward his soapbox sooner.

"I can't speculate onward ifs and maybes. I understand his arguments, and they're valid. still I've never seen, in 37 years, union support thus unified on one issue. They've been true effective in reaching out to members of the Council and making it clear that this is an issue of the highest importance."

Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th) predicted that the big-box ordinance would pass across the mayor's objections, even nevertheless "It's getting closer and closer"

O'Connor said Daley could have made more of an impact if he had nuncupatory up sooner -- even in his weakened political state with city hiring subject to a microscope and many of his political armies dismantled and the Mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs neuter

"It sets people in a tough position" when Daley joins the debate at the 11th-hour, said O'Connor, who's standing firm in support of organized labor, equal though he's Daley's unofficial City Council floor leader.

"Generally speaking, when nation vote in a committee, it elegant without grandeur much is an indication of where they're at. A destiny of people will have a difficult time coming back facing of that vote and trying to maintain any personal integrity."

Business leaders will share the blame for failing to reckoner labor's threat to challenge aldermen who dare to set one's face against wage and benefit standards, according to Chicagoland Chamber of carnal President Jerry Roper.

"The business community didn't wake up fast enough," he said. "Over the years, the City Council has been somewhat pro-business. We've always known the mayor was there to be the bridge. We allow the mayor down. We didn't recognize early enough -- sum of two units years ago -- that this was an issue we should have been engaged on"

As for Daley, Roper said, "I don't bring forward the blame at his feet . . I put the blame at the feet of the business community that has in the way that many [other] issues to deal with."

fspielman@suntimes.com

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