Score one for the little guy, kinda. The New York Times is reporting that...

Neither Wal-Mart nor the developer (Vornado Realty Trust) are saying much, and the whole plan from the start was shrouded in mystery and rumor. But that was enough to energize labor and neighborhood groups against the anti-worker beheamoth. Action by the City Council's Land Use Committee stopping a B.J.'s Wholesale Club in the Bronx a couple of weeks ago seems to have finally nixed the deal.

It would be nice to have hope that strong labor and community activism can stop Wal-Mart's destruction of small-businesses and living-wage retail jobs. But Wal-Mart's recent acquisition of Germany and their closing of a Wal-Mart in Quebec in the face of unionization shows these folks will never surrender. The suburbs surrounding the Big Apple are filled with Wal-Marts and happy shoppers buying the detritus of Chinese sweatshops. The battle has been won, but the war is far from over. Vigilance!