Activists Rally Today to Demand a "Seat at the Table"

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Activists Rally Today to Demand a (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

 

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