DC COUNCILMEMBERS SUPPORT STRIKING WINGS WORKERS, CALL FOR RAPID RESOLUTION TO THE STRIKE

For Immediate ReleasernWednesday, November 18 2009rnContact:Ruth Castel-Branco, 202 489 2273, rnRcastel@dclabor.orgrnrnDC COUNCILMEMBERS SUPPORT STRIKING WINGS WORKERS,rnCALL FOR RAPID RESOLUTION TO THE STRIKErnrnWASHINGTON, DC— As workers at Wings Enterpises, Inc complete their fourth week on strike, DC Councilmembers moved to support the striking workers yesterday by sending a joint letter to the company demanding a rapid resolution. rnrn“The DC Council has worked hard to ensure that employers provide workers with safe workplaces and comply with labor standards,” said Councilmember Kwame Brown, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development. “We have requested that the company meet with striking workers as soon as possible to address their concerns and bring the strike to a resolution.” rnrnCouncilmembers Mendelson, Harry Thomas (Ward 5), Tommy Wells (Ward 6), Marion Barry (Ward 8), Jack Evans (Ward 2), Muriel Bower (Ward 4), and Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) also signed onto the letter.rnrnWings, a DC based company specializing in concrete reinforcement and crane dismantlement, is one of the largest rebar subcontractors in the DC-Metropolitan area and has worked on numerous government funded projects. In response to poor working conditions workers at Wings Enterprises, Inc walked out on strike last month.rnrn “I have worked at Wings for ten years,” said Mauricio, a Ward 4 resident and striking worker, “and I still do not have health insurance, vacation pay, sick leave or other benefits. The company has never taken accidents seriously or provided compensation for work related in injuries and on top of that, pay is too low for me to be able to support my family.”rnrnThe company, which is located in Ward 5 partners frequently with Clark Construction Group and Donatelli Development and has worked on a series of large projects including the new DOES headquarters and the Dulles Metrorail Extension Project.rnrn“We are pleased that Council has weighed in on this strike,” said Rev Raymond Bell, pastor at First Rising Mt Zion Baptist Church and member of the Justice at Wings Campaign. “In these difficult economic times, it is imperative that we work to ensure that DC residents have access to well paid jobs, and justice and respect in the workplace.”