Is there a shortage of smart bombs? Union activists who want to
prevent a Super Wal-Mart from opening in Gilroy are inexplicably
aiming their fire at the Pacheco Pass Center.
Is there a shortage of smart bombs? Union activists who want to prevent a Super Wal-Mart from opening in Gilroy are inexplicably aiming their fire at the Pacheco Pass Center. They seem to think that killing $5.5 million in incentives for Newman Development Group’s Pacheco Pass Center will prevent Gilroy’s Wal-Mart from becoming a Super Wal-Mart.
But the incentives Gilroy City Council recently approved for the center have little, if anything, to do with Super Wal-Mart.
“People are trying to tie this to Wal-Mart, and nothing could be farther from the truth,” Newman’s George Akel told reporter Jonathan Jeisel.
“They’re going to be there with or without us.”
Newman has plans to build chain stores and restaurants – including Linens and Things, Party City and Chili’s – near the recently opened Costco and soon-to-be-opened Lowe’s Home Improvement stores.
Wal-Mart wants to close its current Gilroy store and open a Super Wal-Mart in the development, angering some labor organizers who claim the store doesn’t pay living wages and intimidates its employees so they won’t unionize.
Union leaders have admitted they are actively researching a referendum on the Newman incentives. But they don’t seem to understand that because Wal-Mart is an existing business in town, incentive money can’t be used for their relocation. So killing the incentives won’t prevent Wal-Mart from supersizing.
However, repealing the incentives will hurt innocent bystanders – Gilroy citizens.
Like it or not, City Council has approved these incentives and businesses have spent time, money and energy on developing stores for Gilroy based on that approval. To repeal them now would cause financial harm to the developers and retailers and might cause lawsuits the city can’t afford to fight, and especially, to lose.
Money spent fighting lawsuits and managing incentive referendum election is money the city can’t spend on recreation programs, police and fire protection, roads and parks maintenance and a host of other important city services.
We urge Gilroy citizens: If asked, don’t help the unions drop a dumb bomb on Gilroy. Don’t sign the referendum petition.
Don’t like incentives for retailers? Pull one of these weapons out of your arsenal instead of the referendum land mine:
• Lobby City Council members before incentive votes.
• Campaign and vote for City Council candidates who oppose retail incentives.
• Run for office yourself; tell Gilroyans how you would pay for city services in tight budget times without big-box stores’ sales tax dollars.
Don’t like Wal-Mart? You have most powerful and deadly accurate weapon of all: your money. If you don’t approve of Wal-Mart’s policies, don’t shop there. Tell your friends, relatives and neighbors why they shouldn’t shop there.
But know that overturning the incentives won’t stop Wal-Mart from expanding, and it will cause a host of problems and expenses for Gilroy taxpayers and citizens.
Union activists, who claim they want to protect the little guy, should aim their fire at Wal-Mart, and try to minimize collateral damage to Gilroy citizens. The referendum is an irresponsible and ineffective weapon to use in the unions’ battle against Wal-Mart.
Let’s stick to smart bombs – don’t sign the referendum petition.
