Stop Walmart's Expansion Into the Nation's Capitol

Retail giant Walmart recently announced plans to expand to Washington, D.C., where they hope to open four stores by 2012. They have sought to win community approval by promising to hire 1,200 people and create stores that are more fitting for the nation's capitol, including things like providing much needed fresh food in areas with few other options. There are many reasons to be concerned about Walmart's entry into D.C., and those who support worker rights should join the fight to stop the company's expansion to the District.

Like many other cities around the country, D.C. has been hit hard by the economic crisis, and unemployment is a serious issue. However, like most people, D.C. residents want good paying jobs where they are treated with respect. A recent survey of D.C. residents showed people want living wages and good quality, affordable health care from their employers. Walmart is not known for providing these conditions. Additionally, given that recent audits have shown that D.C.'s laws calling for living wages for tax funded development projects are widely violated, there is little reason to believe that Walmart will be effectively held accountable.

In response, local grassroots organizations and labor rights advocates like DC Jobs with Justice and local unions are working together to call for economic development that supports quality jobs for D.C. residents. As Thomas P. McNutt, president of Local 400 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, said, "We are going to bring the fight to [Walmart]."

Workers in D.C. may find common cause with other workers around the world in criticizing Walmart. Just last week, I wrote on this blog about how workers at a Walmart supplier in Bangladesh were recently killed when a fire broke out at an unsafe factory. Human rights supporters have been organizing to improve safety conditions, raise the wages for garment workers from their current poverty level and secure the full range of worker rights. But it is often extremely dangerous and even deadly to speak out in Bangladesh. Walmart has fought wage increases for some of the lowest paid workers in the world and has done little to work with suppliers to improve conditions. That is why activists in the U.S. are taking action with organizations like SweatFree Communities and the International Labor Rights Forum by delivering letters to their local Walmart stores and even creatively using caroling to send a message.

The abuses in Bangladesh are just one example of the negative consequences of Walmart's global race to the bottom when it comes to wages and worker rights. U.S. consumers and labor rights supporters can draw inspiration from their counterparts globally who continue to fight Walmart, like the new coalition formed in South Africa to stop Walmart's expansion into their country.

Walmart's plans for D.C. require us to ask ourselves if we want to invest in development that benefits our local communities and businesses and supports good jobs for workers in the U.S. and globally, or if we will except Walmart's false promises of prosperity. You can take action to support better conditions for workers by asking the D.C. City Council and incoming Mayor Vince Gray to support good jobs, not Walmart.

Photo credit: tsweden