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.
No comments:
Post a Comment