Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network of Erie is hosting a “shop-in” to support good jobs in the Erie area today starting at 4 p.m. at the Giant Eagle supermarket in Harborcreek Township.
Members of the organization, formerly known as Erie Congregational Action to Lift Lives, will be at the store at 4500 Buffalo Road to first rally and then shop, a spokeswoman said. The group, which has 10 active congregations, will show support for workers and Giant Eagle, who are in negotiations, according to the spokeswoman and a news release from PIIN of Erie. Participants will approach the store manager to explain why they are there to show their support, the release stated.
“When we shop at Giant Eagle our money stays in the community and supports a business where employees have the ability to negotiate for family sustaining wages,” Bishop Clifton McNair, pastor of Word of Life Church and vice president of expansion for PIIN of Erie, said in the release. “Most jobs being created in today’s economy are in the service or hospitality industries. If our neighborhoods and churches are to be strong, grocery industry jobs need to be jobs that can sustain a household.”
To learn more, e-mail office@piin.org.