Activists Rally Today to Demand a "Seat at the Table"
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Activists will rally today – 2p on
Freedom Plaza -- to demand “a seat at the
table” as DC Mayor Vincent Gray prepares to
negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement with
Walmart. “How can it be a true Community
Benefits Agreement if the deal is negotiated
without community input?” asks Rev. Howard
Finley, a leader in the Living Wages, Healthy
Communities Coalition. More than 40
neighborhood, labor, community and religious
activists and leaders have worked together for
the past six months to develop the solution to
the problems posed by Walmart’s plans to open
four new stores in the District of Columbia.
The coalition has crafted “an enforceable
Community Benefits Agreement guaranteeing that
Walmart’s presence in the District will raise
our standard of living and improve our quality
of life, rather than driving down both, which
is what usually happens when the world’s
largest retailer enters a market,” says
Mackenzie Baris of DC Jobs with Justice.
But the activists are concerned about how
effective the CBA will be without community
representation at the negotiations and are
demanding that they be included. photo:
Franklin Carter at Respect DC rally earlier
this year