Councilman Oddo says no to Wal-Mart

In an interesting juxtaposition to Sager’s piece this morning the Crain’s Insider is reporting that Councilman James Oddo of Staten Island is poised to jump on the anti-Wal-Mart bandwagon. The impetus behind his move: Wal-Mart’s corporate welfare. As the Councilman says:

It’s the notion that I as a tax payer am underwriting part of the salary for Wal-Mart employees because they pay them a minimum salary but sign them up for every social program under the sun

As Anne Michaud of Crain’s points out, Oddo’s opposition to Wal-Mart, even though the two S.I. sites are outside his district, could seriously damage the chain’s chances there. Given the labor issues, the lack of unanimous political support on the Island will make it difficult for Wal-Mart to prevail at the City Council.