Wal-Mart DC Plans Challenged

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Wal-Mart’s low wages won’t fly in the nation’s capital. With negotiations underway for the giant retailer to open a store in the District, unions and community advocates are pushing big box stores to pay workers a living wage and hire District residents. A poll conducted by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) found that 76% of 400 likely voters would support efforts requiring big-box stores to pay its employees at least $12 an hour and to hire 75% of its employees from D.C.  “If you’re going to come into the city, you have to make a commitment to D.C. residents,” says Courtney Chappell in a July 13 City Paper report (Poll: D.C. Wants to Make Big Box Stores Pay Up, Hire Local). “That you’re not going to just be making minimum wage, but a living wage, and you need to employ D.C. residents.” Chappell is Advocacy Director for the D.C. Employment Justice Center. “If the District of Columbia wanted to court a retail food employer,” added Thomas McNutt, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, “they ought to be courting companies like Giant, Safeway, and Shoppers that respect their employees and don’t have nearly the track record of Walmart violating workers rights in this country.” (Waltzing With Wal-Mart: Can D.C. convince the world’s largest retailer to take up urbanism? City Paper, July 15) - Report/photo by Chris Garlock; photo: UFCW 400 Tax Day leafleting on April 15 exposing WalMart’s tax-dodging practices