Walmart wants to build a 160,000-square-foot store with full merchandise, garden supplies and groceries, along with more than 300 jobs.
Updated at 10:42 p.m. to include details about Stop Walmart in Holyoke and text of remarks made by that group's James Bickford.
HOLYOKE — About 100 neighbors, labor union members and politicians attended a rally Thursday to protest Walmart's plan to open a supercenter on Whiting Farms Road.
"Walmart, Holyoke isn't for you. We don't want it. Holyoke can do better," said Jason Garand, business manager of Local 108, New England Regional Council of Carpenters.
A 160,000-square-foot Walmart would clog already traffic-congested streets in the area near the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, especially at the holidays. It also would add light and noise pollution, said Gordon Drive resident Terri Laramee, of the anti-Walmart group Holyoke First.
"This is all combined to be an increased environmental hazard on all levels," Laramee said.
Walmart deceives the community by promising jobs and tax revenue, said Ward 4 resident James Bickford, of the group Stop Walmart in Holyoke. The truth is, Bickford said, the low-waged workers must get government subsidies to survive and Walmart's low prices hurt the economy by driving out existing businesses.
"These are jobs that keep people in poverty," Bickford said.
Mayor Alex B. Morse also spoke at the rally. That drew criticism later from mayoral candidates Daniel J. Szostkiewicz and Jeffrey A. Stanek, who attended the event, for Morse taking several weeks to arrive at an anti-Walmart position.
Szostkiewicz, a former mayor here, also criticized Morse for holding such an event in a public building. But Laramee began the event by saying, "This is not a political event."
Walmart spokesman William Wertz said the company will proceed with its proposal for a store at 222 Whiting Farms Road that will employ more than 300 people and offer general merchandise, a garden center and a full line of groceries at low prices.
Wertz urged people with questions and concerns to attend Walmart's open house about the project from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 12 at Holyoke Community College.
No one spoke in favor of the Walmart plan at the rally.
Morse initially welcomed the Walmart plan's jobs and tax revenue. But he said he studied and determined such a large store would disturb the residential area. It also could jeopardize a plan for a Big Y supermarket at a retail plaza being planned nearby, he said.
Another detriment is Walmart's low-paying jobs, he said.
"The net benefit of a Walmart is nonexistent ..." Morse said. "As you continue your efforts, please know that you have an ally in Room 1."
Szostkiewicz said Morse has let the Walmart issue get out of control.
"Changing his mind like this over and over again is not leadership, it is the lack thereof from Room 1, and that continues to hurt our city," Szostkiewicz said.
Stanek said Morse should have realized, before potential voters became so vocal against the plan, that putting such a large Walmart at 222 Whiting Farms Road was a poor fit.
"I find it hard to believe it took this long to do 'due diligence.' He should have done that long before," Stanek said.
Bickford said Stop Walmart in Holyoke was formed with support of Holyoke First , NuevaEsperanza, Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council, Sisters of St. Joseph ofSpringfield, Sprawl-Busters, FluxMass, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Western Mass. Jobs with Justice.
The map belows shows the approximate location of the proposed Walmart:
Here is the text of remarks made by James Bickford of Stop Walmart in Holyoke:
I’d like to thank Mayor Alex Morse for joining us here today. (gesture)
I hope you all don’t mind, but I am going to imagine you all naked while I do this. (laughter, hopefully)
I speak for the coalition, Stop Walmart in Holyoke, a group of Holyoke area residents, business owners and organizational leaders with support from Holyoke First; Nueva Esperanza; Fluxmass; Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council; Sisters of St. Joseph; Sprawl-Busters; Holyoke Chapter of the ISO; United Brotherhood of Carpenters; and Western Mass. Jobs with Justice.
Proponents of the Walmart Supercenter will claim that new jobs and tax revenue for Holyoke as the primary selling points for the establishing of a store here. This is ultimately deceiving. While it is true that the municipal will have tax revenue added to the coffers with a Walmart; what they don’t want you to know is that there will be an incredible demand on individual tax payers. Walmart’s success in the marketplace is mostly dependent on keeping the cost of labor lower than other large retailers. They have the least number of employees per square foot of retail, pay low wages and maintain a large number of part time employees to avoid paying benefits. These are jobs that keep people in poverty. We only need to look at a recent congressional report on Walmart to see the impact down stream. Since most Walmart employees are under-employed everyone else foots the bill for their EBT, medical and retirement. It has been shown that the average Walmart employee costs taxpayers $6,000.00 per year… this comes out to $900k to $1.2 million per store per year. Again, Walmart’s success is dependent on social services taking care of their employees. Walmart creates and perpetuates poverty.
Some criticize Walmart opposition as anti-business. No, in fact, Walmart opposition is pro-business and pro-labor. A new Walmart does not create new consumers. Like I said previously, Walmart keeps labor costs extremely low. As a result it has a competition advantage and will certainly draw customers from existing business large and small. Their loss will force them to reduce payroll and possibly end in closure. It will also limit new small business development in the retail sector. Studies have shown that over time each Walmart employee ends up being a net loss of 1.4 employees in area retail labor.
Globally, Walmart is responsible for an incredible amount of sweat shop labor where human beings are considered expendable commodities like we have seen recently with its garment and textile supplier in Bangladesh.
On a national level Walmart’s negative impact is incredible. Walmart’s expansion between 2001 and 2006 accounted for 11 percent of the growth of the total US trade deficit with China. In 2000, Walmart was sued 4,851 times — about once every 2 hours. Walmart also battled 1.6 million employees in the largest class action sex discrimination law suit ever — the potential cost at the time of $11 billion. The Supreme Court ruling is considered controversial here as it was shot down not on the merits of the case but rather the scale, leading to individual suits instead of the class action. The statistics do not lie… women were grossly underrepresented among managers, holding just 14 percent of manager roles compared with the more than 80 percent of lower-ranking hourly supervisor jobs. Walmart retaliates against employees that organized for better working conditions. The egregious business and labor practices of Walmart are alarming especially since it is the largest overall employer in the entire USA, and the biggest employer in 25 states.
One would think that such a large corporation with such amassed wealth and annual profits could do so much better for its employees. We say that we can do better for Holyoke.
Critics of the Walmart opposition will state that lacking an alternative to Walmart is reason for Walmart to proceed. HGE has stated that the sale is in the best interest of the rate payers – will we see a decrease in rates as a result? In pennies? Here’s a potential alternative: With the rising energy costs, the scheduled closure of Mt Tom power plant and the recent alarming reports of Pilgrim nuclear plant – which supplies 15% of the states electricity – shutting down periodically due to rising ocean temperatures. Why not invite local solar experts Stiebel Eltron or Citizens Energy to survey the land for a potential solar farm? This would be something that will benefit ratepayers for decades, much more than the one time sale of the property.
False promises and lack of an immediate alternative are not valid reasons for Holyoke to sell its soul for tax revenue burdened on the shoulders of poverty wage slave jobs. We ask that city government – the Mayor’s Office, City Council, Fire Department, Planning Board, Redevelopment Committee and the Building Commissioner – oppose this plan and that HGE seek alternate uses for this parcel of land they have put up for sale.
Thank you.