Wal-Mart workers speak out

Feb 14,2007
Wal-Mart workers speak out
by Bend Weekly News Sources






“Our Community First” updates residents on local opposition to a proposed Bend Wal-Mart SuperCenter, Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.

Wal-Mart workers from three countries will speak out on what they believe is “the high cost of low prices” -- and Ann Wheeler, a local community activist, will provide an update on local opposition to a proposed Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Bend.

The event is slated for Tuesday, February 20 at 7 p.m., and will be held in the Central Oregon Environmental Center located at 16 NW Kansas Avenue, Bend. The event, sponsored by Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, Our Community First, and the International Labor Rights Fund is free, and translation will be provided.

The Wal-Mart Workers Tour brings together Cynthia Foley, a former Wal-Mart employee who experienced sexual harassment at a Florida Wal-Mart; Beatrice "Betty" Fuentes, a cut flower worker from Colombia who led a fight to improve working conditions at a plantation that ships 80 percent of its flowers to Wal-Mart; and Kotagarahalli Ramaiah Jayaram, a garment worker and union organizer who has worked to improve the wages of workers who make clothing for Wal-Mart in India.

Ann Wheeler, representing Our Community First, will provide an update on the campaign to stop Wal-Mart's plans to build a SuperCenter at the intersection of U.S. 97 and Cooley Road in north Bend. Our Community First led the successful effort to derail Wal-Mart's plans that culminated in a state land use board's rejection of the company's store application last summer.

For more information, contact Central Oregon Jobs with Justice at 541-617-3879 or visit Our Community First's web site, where email contact information is provided.







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