The unions strike one more blow against the poor.  The city of Chicago mandates a "living wage" at the behest of the unions.  Anyone with a marginal grasp of economics can figure out that Walmart, Target, et al will leave the city by the target date of 2010.  The retailers will either close the city stores or reduce their exposure to the city's asinine mandate.

The retailers will move to the suburbs, which means the poor in the city of Chicago will lose access to jobs and the goods these stores provide.  Additionally, the city will lose the tax revenue, further reducing programs avaiilable to the poor.  

This is a success for the unions.  The unionized employees in the city will use this for future contract negotiations to up their wages, just like they use minimum wages elsewhere to boost their contracts. I think it is notable the clergy serving the poorer residents of the city opposed this measure. One has to wonder if the Chicago Council believes they serve the interests of their voters or the unions. Chicago unions 1, poor residents of Chicago 0.