Wal-Mart is owned by the richest family in the world, the billionaire Waltons. The Walton family pays workers at Wal-Mart factories among the lowest wages in the world. Wal-Mart workers in the U.S. make barely above minimum wage. A series of three rallies at a Wal-Mart in Chicopee, Massachusetts, near Springfield, are set for May 28, June 6, and June 8. The rallies are being organized by the western Massachusetts chapter of Jobs With Justice, which has a web site at www.jwj.org.

The group is asking the public to arrive at the main entrance to the store at 591 Memorial Drive at 8:50 a.m. on May 28. At 9 a.m. the activists will join striking workers from the store at a meeting with the store manager. The workers will then travel by bus to Wal-Mart’s annual shareholder meeting in Arkansas. The meeting is set for June 7. Striking Wal-Mart workers from around the world will protest at the meeting.

On June 6, Jobs With Justice will organize rallies at Wal-Mart stores around the Valley.

On June 8, activists will accompany the Chicopee workers back to their jobs. Organizers are asking people to RSVP by e-mailing wmjwj@wmjwj.org.