"All Eyes on Mayor Gray" As LRAA Passes Final Council Vote

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)The Large Retailer Accountability Act (2013) passed its second reading on Wednesday in an 8-5 vote following hours of heated discussion among DC City Councilmembers. With Walmart threatening to cancel plans for three proposed DC stores if the law passed -- a tactic Metro Council President Jos Williams called “economic blackmail” (Wal-Mart Threat to Cancel DC Stores Called "Economic Blackmail" UC 7/10/2013) -- community members turned out in force at the Wilson Building to show their support for the living wage bill. Community leaders spoke to crowds outside the building while other activists moved from office to office, calling on Councilmembers to support a living wage. “All eyes are on Mayor Gray now,” says Metro Council President Jos Williams. “Workers across the nation’s capital are counting on him to do the right thing and uphold the LRAA.” As community members rallied in favor of the bill, nearby local student members of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) were also putting pressure on Walmart, demanding the company sign a binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, instead of the “corporate-run factory auditing scheme” they have offered. Click here for the full story. - photos (above): Reverend Graylan Hagler speaks in favor of the LRAA outside the Wilson Building; photo by @FooteSteppes; (below): USAS members and union members call on Walmart and Gap to sign an enforceable worker safety plan; photo by Julia Kann