When Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. pleaded for city officials to open more Wal-Mart stores in Chicago during an unrelated city council meeting last November, the writing was on the wall. So it's not a surprise that, according to the Tribune , the mega-retailer is gearing up for another shot at the Windy City:

Citing the need for new investment to boost the sagging local economy, Wal-Mart is preparing to launch a new push for approval of as many as five new stores in Chicago, sources said Thursday.

The timing of the gambit is telling. Unemployment is sky-high and Wal-Mart is the only retailer in the nation that’s actually thriving during the recession, posting a 2.1 percent increase in sales last year. As SEIU Illinois Council executive director Jerry Morrison told the Trib, “It’s clear they are trying to take advantage of the economic crisis that’s out there and use that for political leverage.” (Full disclosure: SEIU Illinois sponsors this website.)

Although the communities likely targeted deserve sustainable job opportunities, working for Wal-Mart just doesn’t cut it.

We’ve listed our problems with Brookins’ crusade before: Even though its sales are robust and here in Illinois it benefits from an annual $8.5 million sales tax diversion (a loophole State Sen. James Meeks is trying to close), Wal-Mart doesn’t allow its employees representation on the job, doesn’t pay them enough to support a family, and doesn’t provide adequate health care, thus forcing more workers onto the public rolls. Unless provisions are approved to ensure the profit-rich retailer pays a living wage, it’s a bad deal for both workers and taxpayers.