http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/07/walmart-steps-up-pressure-on-city-council.htmlWal-Mart representatives tonight tried to increase the pressure on Chicago's City Council ahead of a committee hearing Wednesday where the prospect of a new South Side store could come up for debate.
A spokesman for the company announced a polling firm made automated calls today to more than 75,000 Chicagoans with a one-question recording that touted the benefits of a new Wal-Mart, including more than 400 jobs and "a wider availability of fresh groceries and other goods."
The company said the recording also said opponents "say the jobs are not good enough."
Wal-Mart officials said the results show Chicagoans overwhelmingly favor a second store for Chicago, but it's unclear whether their latest public relations push will win them converts among aldermen who have so far sided with organized labor groups that oppose the store.