New York City Says No to Wal-Mart Store

Wal-Mart in Baghdad, Unions in Manhattan

What is one retail store that can be found in Baghdad but not Manhattan? You guessed it, Wal-Mart has taken the opportunity to seize profit from the U.S.'s long standing occupation in Iraq to expand its corporate blood to the Baghdad Airport, along with McDonalds.

There are currently no Wal-Mart stores in New York, and New Yorkers want to keep it that way. Despite other retail giants' presence in the city, such as Kmart and Target, Wal-Mart is singled out for its especially unjust treatment of its employees along with low wages and stingy health benefits. Unions are the most vocal opponents of the retail giant, effectively thwarting its dream from expanding to the NYC among other cities. Along with Manhattan, unions and political activists in Queens and Staten Island also countered Wal-Mart's attempts to establish stores in those cities. Much of the opposition from unions stems from Wal-Mart's exceptionally low prices that would threaten unionized stores.

The establishment of corporations through imperialism, such as Iraq, is an attempt to not only profit from expansion and low wage labor, but also change the occupied country's society and culture by dominating its economy to suit the interests of the occupier whilst destroying the country's indigenous businesses. Another reason why this is so popular is because the economy is a simple way to occupy a country without the need for a present military base. Moreover, corporations seek labor overseas as an opportunity to violate laws such as the minimum wage and fair treatment of workers.