From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


Recent NCC Actions--Farmworker Wages, Mercury Emission


From "Carol Fouke" <cfouke@ncccusa.org>
Date Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:14:06 -0500

March 22, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RECENT NCC ACTIONS: FARM WORKER WAGES, MERCURY EMISSIONS STANDARDS

NCC Urges World's Largest Fast Food Company to Ensure Farm Workers a Fair
Wage: 
Yum Brands - the world's largest fast food company whose holdings include
Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut - is one of the largest buyers of tomatoes from
Florida growers.  The tomato pickers toil in often dangerous conditions,
earning just $50 for every two tons picked.  

Now Yum Brands is the target of a campaign to increase tomato pickers' wages
by one penny a pound - which would nearly double their daily wage. 
Spearheading the campaign is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a
community-based worker organization.  The National Council of Churches USA is
among supporters of the campaign and of the related boycott of Taco Bell
restaurants and products.  

Addressing a March 15 rally on behalf of the CIW's Living Wage Campaign, NCC
President Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., a Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop
from Shreveport, La., said, "This is an historic moment - a sacred moment
when each and every one of us is called to decide: will we use our power to
put an end to exploitation or will we hide ourselves among what Dr. King
called the "fraternities of the indifferent?"  More information on the
campaign and what individuals and groups can do to support it is available at
www.ncccusa.org

*  *  *  *

Religious Leaders Oppose EPA Reduction of Mercury Emissions Standards: An
interfaith group of organizations is asking President Bush to protect
children and adults from mercury emissions. In a letter sent March 16 to the
White House, a coalition of religious leaders including representatives from
the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), the United Methodist Church, and
the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), spoke against the
proposed rules by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would delay
significant reduction in mercury emissions until 2018 or later.  

"The present threat to our health and the integrity of God's creation is
clear," states the letter. "We believe it is unacceptable and immoral to
sacrifice our children's health and their future for the sake of current
consumption patterns and lifestyle choices."  The letter cites recent studies
estimating that nearly 15 percent of women of child-bearing age have blood
mercury concentrations higher than the level considered safe for fetal
development - putting as many as 630,000 newborns each year at risk for
serious developmental impairment.   

The Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments until April
30 on its proposal to delay significant reductions of toxic mercury emissions
from power plants for 15 years or longer.  Power plants are the number one
source of domestic mercury pollution and the only major source still
unregulated by the EPA.   See www.ncccusa.org for more information.

-end-

Source: National Council of Churches USA, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY
10115

Media Contact: 212-870-2227; cfouke@ncccusa.org

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Send E-mail address changes to: nccc_usa@ncccusa.org


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