BY K.P. SANDER

Eastvale – Talk of a Walmart coming to Eastvale has been around the town for quite some time. The property at the southeast corner of Archibald and Limonite is the destination of the project, which is still in the preliminary planning phase, as in, can this really happen?

According to the City of Eastvale’s Public Information Officer, Michele Nissen, Walmart is still a go. The popular retailer is currently in negotiations with Southern California Edison over a 66KV line that sits on Archibald Avenue. Apparently SCE wants Walmart to relocate the line when the road is widened, but Walmart is not keen on spending the $1 million to get it done. Once an agreement has been reached in this regard, the actual planning stage can begin. It could be a year before it comes before Eastvale’s Planning Commission.

According to their website, Walmart operates nearly 11,000 stores in 27 countries, including 282 retail establishments in California. They employ 2.2 million employees, or associates, worldwide, and expect fiscal year 2014 sales of approximately $473 billion. Their mission is to help people around the world save money and live better, and try to keep integrity as the cornerstone of their operations from retail transactions to community giving and global responsibility. But Market Watch (Wall Street Journal) has recently noted that the company has reported five straight quarters of declining same-store sales in the U.S., with Sam’s Club sales dropping for two straight quarters. Should we be concerned?

As if this weren’t enough, CNNMoney recently reported that the National Labor Relations Board challenges that Walmart “unlawfully threatened, disciplined and/or terminated workers for engaging in legally protected strikes and protests.” At the heart of this challenge are 60 workers – 19 of whom were fired – who walked off the job in strikes aimed at better pay and benefits in 2012 and 2013. The U.S. Government will have a say in whether this was all done legally, and Walmart could be forced to reinstate the terminated workers and provide them with back pay depending on the outcome of forthcoming court dates. And legalities are part of the norm in any business, especially in one of this size, however the decision could have an effect on employer/employee relationships everywhere.

Despite the recent ruckus, the retail giant could still be a boon to Eastvale by bringing a potential $1 million in sales tax revenue to the City, and another way to “roll back prices” for more than 57,000 Eastvale residents – as well as those in nearby Chino and Ontario. If they can re-gauge their target markets in alignment with new initiatives to better sales, Walmart may indeed help Eastvale save money and live better.