Back in April, Mayor Daley's unofficial floor leader Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th Ward) tried to lay to rest Wal-Mart's hopes for expanding within Chicago's borders. The Northwest Side pol noted that "the timing is pretty bad" because the Daley administration is trying to "keep some peace with the unions" in lieu of the International Olympic Committee's evaluation of the city's bid to host the 2016 games. The message from the 5th Floor seemed to cool the chances of a council "floor fight" that South Side Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st Ward) had vowed to bring on behalf of the mega-retailer. But behind the scenes, lobbying by Wal-Mart has actually been heating up.

The Sixth Ward blogger Levois has been providing a play-by-play account of Wal-Mart's campaign to expand its reach in Chicago. The latest installment includes details about some Wal-Mart-backed robo calls that have been flooding phone lines over the past week. Here are the details of a survey that the South Side blogger participated in:

The survey included quesions similar to the following [brackets reveal my own faulty memory] :

-What's you opinion of Mayor Daley? (favorable, unfavorable, neutral or never heard of him)
-What's you opinion of Ald. Lyle? (favorable, unfavorable, neutral or never heard of her)
-Would you favor a Wal-Mart at [either of the two main south side locations we mentioned in the last blog entry]?
-What's your opinion of unions' huge financial support of politicans?(it strongly affects politicians'votes, it doesn't affect votes, no opinion)
-Would voting against a Wal-Mart make vote against Ald. Lyle in the next election?

To her credit, Ald. Lyle (6th Ward) -- who said she sees a South Side Wal-Mart as the beginning of the end for existing local stores -- has been a vocal opponent of the big box retailer in the past. As Levois points out, the third-term alderman is taking some heat from some locals, including 72nd Calumet Block Club President Cecilia Peeler, who launched an e-mail campaign in favor of Wal-Mart this week. More from The Sixth Ward blog:

I am a concerned citizen of the 6th ward and I am in favor of a Walmart Store in the surrounding area, specifically on 83rd and Vincennes.  Why not have a Walmart.  We need jobs.  I think the Alderman, (Fredrenna Lyle) has it wrong on this one.  She needs to concentrate on ridding the ward of drugs and gangs and all the dollar stores and fast food junk and 24 hour liquor stores.  the 6th ward is a mess.. drive down 79th if you dare. Last year on my block a neighbor got robbed while sitting on the porch.  We are being held hostage in the 6th Ward.

We're sympathetic to Peeler's desire to see jobs, healthy food, and new development in her South Side community, (which, like others around it, continue to be neglected under Daley's spending priorities). But as one of the nation's wealthiest companies, Wal-Mart should be held to fair-wage standards and should offer comprehensive health care benefits to its workers. And as Wal-Mart lobbyists continue to make the rounds (city council members have confirmed to us they've already started), aldermen should again demand that the company provide a sustainable wage. Chicagoans deserve it.