The United Food and Commercial Workers Union and central Virginia chapters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference organized the event at the Brook Road store in Henrico County. Ralph Ramirez, the local SCLC president and a union member, said Christmas is a good time to draw attention to family issues.
The Richmond march was one of several the union is holding around the country to pressure Wal-Mart to improve worker policies and conditions, said Jim Hepner of Stafford, also an SCLC officer and union member.
"I don't believe [retail chain founder] Sam Walton would shop there and support Wal-Mart, the way they treat their employees," Hepner said. "[Walton] was a family-values man."
Working Families for Wal-Mart, a group supported by the world's largest retailer, released a poll yesterday that said a majority of voters in Ohio believe Wal-Mart has a positive effect in their state. It confirms national polls that show Americans believe Wal-Mart is good for their communities, the group said.
Wal-Mart defends its policies on www.walmartfacts.com, its Web site. The company says it offers an average wage of between $10 and $11 per hour, low-cost health-care coverage and a chance for advancement.
The union has its own Web site at www.wakeupwalmart.com, which describes why it feels the company needs to change.
The Rev. J. Rayfield Vines Jr., president of the Henrico County NAACP, led the prayers in that regard at last night's vigil.
