According to Walmart: "Walmart is the largest employer of Blacks & Latinos in the US. [MORE] In photo, another photo op for D.C.'s allegedly corrupt and invisible mayor.[MORE]

From Tribune Business News on 9/1/13 More often than not, local officials are accused of bending over backward to accommodate a retailer that's considering locating to their community. That's why what the Washington, D.C., City Council did earlier this summer came as a surprise to many: The council passed a law it knew might thwart development plans from a major retailer.

It wasn't just any retailer. It was Walmart. And it wasn't just any law. It was a "living wage" requirement that would force the store to pay employees $12.50 an hour?$4.25 more than the city's minimum wage. 

The legislation had been on the back burner for several years as Walmart pursued plans for six stores inside the city limits. But when discussion of the legislation heated up this summer, Walmart issued an ultimatum: If the law takes effect, the retailer said it would scrap plans for three stores and reconsider three others already under construction. The council passed the measure anyway. Council member David Grosso says city leaders felt they didn't have to accept low-paying jobs. "Let's be a little bit picky," he says. As of mid-August, Mayor Vincent Gray had not decided whether to veto the bill.

When asked if the mayor plans to sign the act, Gray spokesman Matt Desjardins would only say "the mayor is still weighing all options and listening to members of the [wealthy, white] community," [MORE]