Wal-Mart "Welcomed" To PG County

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

"We welcome Wal-Mart to PG County," UFCW 400 Political Director Mark Federici said at a Landover Hills rally last Thursday afternoon, "We welcome Wal-Mart to pay a living wage, to provide healthcare for its workers and to respect their right to organize." Nearly 100 labor activists were joined by local political leaders at the afternoon march and rally targeting the retail giant for failing to provide adequate healthcare for its workers. The spirited rally was held on the crumbling parking lot of the Capital Plaza Mall in front of the site where Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer and grocer, plans to open its first store inside the Capital Beltway late this year. "There will be no Wal-Mart Superstore here in Capital Plaza" promised PG Councilman Tom Hendershot, "Not now and not ever!" Hendershot noted that the PG County Council had passed legislation limiting the size of "big box" stores. "It's not just about jobs, it's about the quality of life those jobs pay," Federici said, as colorful signs demanded "Make Work Pay" under bright springtime sunshine. To enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, UFCW 1994 President Gino Renne promised "We're going to keep kicking ass until greedy corporations step up to the plate and pay their fair share!" photos by Chris Garlock