Monday, June 3, 2013

McHenry County Faith Community to Call for Worker Justice at Woodstock Wal-Mart



On Wednesday June 5, members of several local congregations will hold a prayer vigil and deliver a letter and petition to the manager of the Woodstock Wal-Mart in solidarity with the millions of Wal-Mart store and supply chain workers fighting for dignity and respect on the job.
People will gather at the Wal-Mart Super Center, 1275 Lake Avenue from 3:15 to 5:30 to hold a prayer vigil and deliver of letter to manager of Woodstock Wal-Mart.
Among the participants will be Ann Legg, Chair, Compassion, Peace and Justice Team, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church; Emmett and Nancy Fleming, members, Holy Family Catholic Church, Inverness; and members of other churches in Woodstock, Crystal Lake and McHenry including members of the Social Justice Committee of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

Through the Organization United for Respect (OUR Walmart), associates have been standing together and speaking up for change. In response, Wal-Mart has retaliated against and attempted to silence those who speak out. But, Wal-Mart workers will not be silenced.
On May 28, hundreds of Wal-Mart workers traveled from their respective cities to Bentonville, Ark., in time for the retail giant’s June 7 shareholder meeting.  As the largest employer in the U.S., Wal-Mart has kept far too many families and communities in poverty with jobs that pay an average of $8.81/hour.  The National Day of Action and the protest in Bentonville will amplify a long-standing call for Wal-Mart to commit to improving wages and working conditions for its store and supply chain workers.
Interfaith Worker Justice, which is supporting the workers in these actions educates, organizes and mobilizes people of faith in support of economic justice and worker rights. Today there are more than 70 affiliated organizations in the IWJ network, including a variety of interfaith groups and more than two dozen worker centers.

For more information, please visit www.iwj.org or contact Ann Legg at 815 338-4838.

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