[Peace-discuss] Re: COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS,
TACO BELL REACH GROUNDBREAKING AGREEMENT
Ricky Baldwin
baldwinricky at yahoo.com
Sat Mar 12 18:48:27 CST 2005
I don't think it's naive at all to celebrate this.
It's an amazing, inspiring victory for some of the
most ignored, downtrodden, powerless workers in North
America against one of the largest restaurant chains
in the world. About a year and a half ago, when we
had our local demonstration in solidarity with these
folks, it seemed pretty hopeless. It's an excellent
example of why we should never give up.
But both are true: it's a great cause for celebration,
and the fight is far from over. Even under the best
of conditions, which these are certainly not, no labor
agreement is ever the end of the struggle. Enforcing
a signed agreement can be no small matter, even if you
fall under the NLRB jurisdiction, which farm workers
do not. That's not to mention the other serious
problems these workers face.
I don't mean to sound cynical, just mindful that we
should be prepared to help if and when another call
for help goes out from the CIW over this.
Ricky
--- krausch meghan <meghan_krausch at hotmail.com> wrote:
> at the risk of sounding naive, one of the more
> complete descriptions of the
> agreement I read stated that Taco Bell was signing
> contracts with the
> tomato growers to make sure the raise was
> "through-paid"--Taco Bell would
> pay one cent more per pound that will be passed
> directly on to the workers.
> I believe they also made a commitment to only buy
> from growers that agree
> to this standard.
>
> I think it's true that lots of bad things still do
> and still will happen,
> but I also think it's very important to celebarte
> victories. I think that 3
> or 4 years ago when the CIW began this campaign and
> started to get national
> recognition, no one thought too much about the
> sweatshops in the fields and
> people didn't really know that those conditions
> still existed. since then,
> the CIW has been instrumental in not just bringing
> more scrutiny to the
> vegetable/fruit industry, but has also helped the
> department of justice
> prosecute 5 cases of slavery. so i believe that
> while things are still bad
> for a lot of people, a concrete improvement has been
> made. not the least of
> which because this is definitely a progressive labor
> movement driven by the
> workers themselves.
>
> -meghan
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>
> To: Peace-Discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
> Subject: [Peace-discuss] Re: COALITION OF IMMOKALEE
> WORKERS,TACO BELL REACH
> GROUNDBREAKING AGREEMENT
> Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 07:53:40 -0800 (PST)
>
> Thanks for posting that, Al-
>
> It's worth noting that this struggle is by no means
> over. Workers are still beaten in the fields,
> sometimes held at gunpoint and even held captive at
> night in the dismal farm labor camps where they
> live.
>
> It also remains to be seen whether the growers will
> pass along this extra pay to the tomato pickers
> themselves. Taco Bell, after all, is not their
> employer, only the biggest buyer.
>
> Anyone who'd like to help out, I'd love to talk with
> you about it. For now, it would be nice if Taco
> Bell
> got some notes of thanks, with copies to CIW of
> course.
>
> Ricky
> --- Al Kagan <akagan at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>
> > FYI, some us protested the local Taco Bell awhile
> > ago.
> >
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> > > From: "U.S. Labor Against the War"
> <uslaw at igc.org>
> > > Date: March 8, 2005 5:17:43 PM CST
> > > To: (Recipient list suppressed)
> > > Subject: [uslawaffiliates] COALITION OF
> IMMOKALEE
> > WORKERS, TACO BELL
> > > REACH GROUNDBREAKING AGREEMENT
> > >
> > > [Note: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is an
> > affiliate of U.S.
> > > Labor Against the War. Please send them
> messages
> > of solidarity on the
> > > occasion of this great victory.]
> > >
> > > COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS, TACO BELL
> REACH
> > > GROUNDBREAKING AGREEMENT
> > >
> > > Contact: Lucas Benitez, CIW/239-503-0133
> > > Julia Perkins, CIW/239-986-0891
> > > Laurie Schalow, Taco Bell Corp./949-863-3915
> or
> > onsite at
> > > 949-637-1153
> > >
> > > CIW to end Taco Bell boycott; Taco Bell to pay
> > > penny-per-pound surcharge demanded by workers,
> > will work
> > > with CIW to raise farm labor standards in
> supply
> > chain,
> > > across industry as a whole
> > >
> > > March 8, 2005 (IMMOKALEE/LOUISVILLE) - In a
> > > precedent-setting move, fast-food industry
> leader
> > Taco
> > > Bell Corp., a division of Yum! Brands
> (NYSE:YUM),
> > has
> > > agreed to work with the Florida-based farm
> worker
> > > organization, the Coalition of Immokalee
> Workers
> > (CIW), to
> > > address the wages and working conditions of
> > farmworkers in
> > > the Florida tomato industry.
> > >
> > > Taco Bell announced today that it will fund a
> > penny per
> > > pound "pass-through" with its suppliers of
> > Florida
> > > tomatoes, and will undertake joint efforts
> with
> > the CIW on
> > > several fronts to improve working conditions
> in
> > Florida's
> > > tomato fields. For its part, the CIW has
> agreed
> > to end
> > > its three-year boycott of Taco Bell, saying
> that
> > the
> > > agreement "sets a new standard of social
> > responsibility
> > > for the fast-food industry."
> > >
> > > "As an industry leader, we are pleased to lend
> > our support
> > > to and work with the CIW to improve working
> and
> > pay
> > > conditions for farmworkers in the Florida
> tomato
> > fields,"
> > > said Emil Brolick, Taco Bell president. "We
> > recognize that
> > > Florida tomato workers do not enjoy the same
> > rights and
> > > conditions as employees in other industries,
> and
> > there is
> > > a need for reform. We have indicated that any
> > solution
> > > must be industry-wide, as our company simply
> does
> > not have
> > > the clout alone to solve the issues raised by
> the
> > CIW, but
> > > we are willing to play a leadership role
> within
> > our
> > > industry to be part of the solution," Brolick
> > added.
> > >
> > > Taco Bell has recently secured an agreement
> with
> > several
> > > of its tomato-grower suppliers, who employ the
> > > farmworkers, to pass-through the
> company-funded
> > equivalent
> > > of one-cent per pound directly to the workers.
> > >
> > > "With this agreement, we will be the first in
> our
> > industry
> > > to directly help improve farmworkers' wages,"
> > added
> > > Brolick, "And we pledge to make this
> commitment
> > real by
> > > buying only from Florida growers who pass this
> > penny per
> > > pound payment entirely on to the farmworkers,
> and
> > by
> > > working jointly with the CIW and our suppliers
> to
> > monitor
> > > the pass-through for compliance. We hope
> others
> > in the
> > > restaurant industry and supermarket retail
> trade
> > will
> > > follow our leadership." Yum! Brands and Taco
> > Bell will
> > > also work with the CIW to help ensure that
> > Florida tomato
> > > pickers enjoy working terms and conditions
> > similar to
> > > those that workers in other industries enjoy.
> > >
> > > "We are challenging our tomato suppliers to
> meet
> > those
> > > higher standards and will seek to do business
> > with those
> > > who do," said Jonathan Blum, senior vice
> > president, Yum!
> > > Brands. "We have already added language to
> our
> > Supplier
> > > Code of Conduct to ensure that indentured
> > servitude by
> > > suppliers is strictly forbidden, and we will
> > require
> > > strict compliance with all existing laws.
> > Finally, we
> > > pledge to aid in efforts at the state level to
> > seek new
> > > laws that better protect all Florida tomato
> > farmworkers,"
> > > added Blum.
> > >
> > > The Company indicated that it believes other
> > restaurant
> > > chains and supermarkets, along with the
> Florida
> > Tomato
> > > Committee, should join in seeking legislative
> > reform,
> > > because "human rights are universal and we
> hope
> > others
> > > will follow our company's lead."
> > >
> > > "This is an important victory for farmworkers,
> > one that
> > > establishes a new standard of social
> > responsibility for
> > > the fast-food industry and makes an immediate
> > material
> > > change in the lives of workers. This sends a
> > clear
> > > challenge to other industry leaders," said
> Lucas
> > Benitez,
> > > a leader of the Coalition of Immokalee
> Workers.
> > >
> > > "Systemic change to ensure human rights for
> > farmworkers is
> > > long-overdue. Taco Bell has now taken an
> > important
> > > leadership role by securing the penny per
> pound
> > > pass-through from its tomato suppliers, and by
> > the other
> > > efforts it has committed to undertake to help
> win
> > equal
> > > rights for farmworkers," Benitez added. "We
> now
> > call on
> > > the National Council of Churches, Presbyterian
> > Church
> > > (U.S.A.), Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center
> for
> > Human
> > > Rights and other organizations to join the CIW
> > and end
> > > their boycott of Taco Bell, and to recognize
> the
> > Company
> > > by supporting its ongoing leadership in our
> fight
> > against
> > > human rights abuses. But our work together is
> > not done.
> > > Now we must convince other companies that they
> > have the
> > > power to change the way they do business and
> the
> > way
> > > workers are treated."
> > >
> > > Representatives from the Carter Center
> assisted
> > the
> > > discussions and resolution between the two
> > > organizations. "I commend the Coalition of
> > Immokalee
> > > Workers for their principled leadership in
> this
> > very
> > > important campaign. I am pleased Taco Bell
> has
> > taken a
> > > leadership role to help reform working
> conditions
> > for
> > > Florida farmworkers and has committed to use
> its
> > power to
> > > effect positive human rights change. I now
> call
> > on others
> > > in the industry to follow Taco Bell's lead to
> > help the
> > > tomato farmworkers," said former President
> Jimmy
> > Carter.
> > >
> > > Taco Bell Corp., based in Irvine, California,
> is
> > a
> > > subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. and the
> nation's
> > leading
> > > Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain
> > serving
> > > tacos, burritos, signature Quesadillas, Border
> > BowlsR,
> > > nachos and other specialty items. In 2004,
> Taco
> > Bell
> > > purchased approximately 10 million pounds of
> > Florida
> > > tomatoes, representing less than one percent
> of
> > Florida's
> > > tomato production. Taco Bell serves more than
> 35
> > million
> > > consumers each week in more than 6,500
> > restaurants in the
> > > U.S.
> > >
> > > CIW is a membership-led organization of
> > agricultural
> > > workers based in Immokalee, Florida, that
> seeks
> > justice
> > > for farmworkers and promotes their fair
> treatment
> > in
> > > accordance with national and international
> labor
> > > standards. Among its accomplishments, the CIW
> > has aided
> > > in the prosecution of five slavery operations
> by
> > the
> > > Department of Justice and the liberation of
> over
> > 1,000
> > > workers. The CIW uses creative methods to
> > educate
> > > consumers about human rights abuses in the
> U.S.
> > > agriculture industry, corporate social
> > responsibility, and
> > > how consumers can help workers realize their
> > social change
> > > goals.
> > >
> > >
> >
>
#############################################################
> > > Mexico Solidarity Network
> > http://www.mexicosolidarity.org
> > > This message is sent to you because you are
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> > <mexicosolidaritynetwork at mexicosolidarity.org>.
> >
> > Al Kagan
> > Africana Unit, Room 328
> > University of Illinois Library
> > 1408 W. Gregory Drive
> > Urbana, IL 61820
> > USA
> >
> > tel. 217-333-6519
> > fax 217-333-2214
> > akagan at uiuc.edu
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> >
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