Retail giant Walmart is launching an aggressive marketing campaign to open stores in New York City, despite resistance from labor unions. Last year, residents of the city spent $165 million last year to buy low-cost products at Walmart’s suburban stores since there aren’t any outlets in the five boroughs, costing the city millions of dollars in tax revenues and hundreds of jobs, according to an analysis obtained by the Post. “We’re evaluating opportunities across the five boroughs,” said Walmart spokesperson Steven Restivo. “It’s clear that New Yorkers want to shop our brand.” City residents now have to travel to Long Island, Westchester or New Jersey to get their Walmart fix. But the store may face trouble from labor unions and the city council, who fought Walmart’s attempt to break into the city in 2005. “Walmart is still not welcome,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the national Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. “They provide a model for others to follow. Their model is a destructive force.” Supporters of Walmart say that the store will help create new job opportunities and bring more affordable products to consumers. [Post]

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The New York City Council voted against the proposed Kingsbridge Armory development today, a $310 million project that would have refurbished the unoccupied building for use as a retail hub in the Bronx. Developer Related Companies had been tapped for the plan, but the council voted down the proposal 45-1. Although the failure to reach a living wage agreement with the developer had been a key issue in the weeks of debate leading up to the City Council vote, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn cited traffic issues as integral to the decision to vote against the project. “The Bronx community surrounding the armory is an area with significant traffic problems, and the impact this project will have cannot be underestimated,” Quinn said. “Even after numerous discussions, there continues to be an immitigable traffic impact. We cannot approve a project that will bring more people to an already overcrowded area and cause further strain to this community.” This is the first time that the council has voted against a major Bloomberg administration proposal, according  to NY1. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was disappointed with the outcome. “Today’s vote against the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment project means the loss of a rare opportunity to bring thousands of jobs and more than $300 million in private investment to the Bronx,” Bloomberg said. “From early in the planning process, we made clear we would never add mandatory wage requirements which would make the project unviable, and that was a line we were never going to cross.” TRD [more]

Organized labor’s effort to secure a living wage for all workers at the soon-to-be redeveloped Kingsbridge Armory fell apart today, when the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York pledged its support of the redevelopment. The group, an umbrella organization that represents over 100,000 construction workers, said it supports the project in part because of the developer’s past commitment to using unionized labor, Crain’s reported. “[Related Companies] consistently uses contractors on its projects throughout New York City that pay prevailing wages — good wages that include health insurance and pension benefits — to members of unions affiliated with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York,” Gary LaBarbera, president of the council, said. Still, Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, contends that Related cannot be counted upon to provide wages that benefit the community. “We call on the City Council to do what the Bronx borough president has done — reject Related’s development plans unless they sign a binding community benefits agreement that meets the needs of the community,” Appelbaum said. [more]