Walmart & DC: A Tale of Two Tables

Friday, June 24, 2011

Walmart & DC: A Tale of Two Tables(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)One table was bare, the other overflowing with food. At one table sat dozens, while at the other was just one person. The setting was Freedom Plaza, as over 200 DC residents gathered across the street from the Wilson Building to demand that DC Mayor Vincent Gray negotiate a strong, enforceable Community Benefits Agreement with Walmart. Seated at the long table full of empty plates, community members jeered a costumed Walmart representative at a nearby table laden with food. Speakers representing a broad spectrum of the DC community spoke to the need for enforceable standards to ensure the community benefit, and newly- elected At-Large City Council member Vincent Orange stopped by to show his support. “Walmart has a track record of taking from and destroying communities, but it can be different in DC,” said Rev. Howard Finley. “Their record means we cannot just take them at their word, we need to make them put it in writing and sign on the dotted line.” While Mayor Gray has said he will negotiate a deal with Walmart, the Living Wages, Healthy Communities coalition is demanding a transparent process that allows the community to be involved, rejecting a “back-room” deal as unacceptable. The action concluded with a delegation of 30 community members delivering messages to Mayor Gray written on the empty plates. “Today we made our voices heard, and the Mayor and Walmart should be on notice: we will not stop until we get a strong, enforceable CBA,” said Mackenzie Baris of DC Jobs with Justice.
- photo by Lillian Walker Shelton  

 

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