Worried Ward 4 Residents & Businesses Press Mendelson for Action on Walmart

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Although DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson agreed that “Walmart is a problem business,” he told worried Ward Four residents, business owners, and community leaders that the Council can’t simply ban the big-box retailer from building two stores in the neighborhood. At the February 18 Ward 4 Thrives meeting, citizens shared their concerns about what Walmart’s presence would do to the surrounding Georgia Avenue community with a clearly sympathetic Mendelson, who urged support for the Large Retailer Accountability Act, a bill that would ensure that big box stores like Walmart pay the DC living wage, rather than just the minimum wage, as well as contribute to paying for employee benefits. Click here for a complete report. - photo: Mendelson (left) listens as Ward 4 residents speak out about Walmart; photo courtesy Respect DC