Is Walmart "using" McHenry County?

Walmart – largest employer in the U.S.? Has every system of operations down “pat”? Knows how to make money? And how to keep its own expenses at a bare minimum? Is expert at using OPM (Other Peoples’ Money).

And knows how to suck even more money out of McHenry County by utilizing the McHenry County Workforce Network.

Walmart is shuttering its McHenry store and moving up the road to Johnsburg. This will result in a huge loss to the City of McHenry in sales tax revenues and will leave a white elephant building that is likely to remain empty and become a blight on U.S. 31 at

McCullom Lake Road

.

It’s not like Walmart is a new company and doesn’t know how to recruit. It understands the entire process perfectly. And it will be hiring hundreds of minimum wage employees when it opens its new store. After the initial flurry of activity, it will then know its accurate staffing needs and will “adjust” its workforce (hint – lay-off employees it doesn’t need or want).

Workforce Network (and McHenry County employee) Director Julie Courtney said in a Northwest Herald article, “The best thing is, these (services to employers) don’t cost employers a dime, just their time. They’ve already paid for them through their taxes. This is all at no cost to the employer.”

So, if it doesn’t cost Walmart anything, whom does it cost?

Supposedly, Walmart will hire 250-300 employees for its store in Johnsburg. The article did not say how many full-time employees or at what wage levels. It also did not provide information about the FTEs; i.e., the number of Full-Time Equivalent employees. Why is this important?

Walmart already has many employees at its McHenry store. Are the “250-300” new employees, in addition to the McHenry employees who would like to continue working for Walmart just one-two miles up the street? Or do all the McHenry employees lose their jobs because the McHenry store is closing and then have to apply to work at the Johnsburg store?

And, if Walmart hires four employees to work 10 hours/week, that’s one FTE.

How many new, additional FTEs will Walmart hire in Johnsburg?

Want to work at Walmart? Go to the Workforce Network office at

500 Russel Court, Woodstock

, on Monday or Tuesday, August 1-2, between 9:00AM and 4:00PM.