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[PCUSANEWS] Stated clerk calls on Burger King to talk higher wages for tomato pickers


From News Service <newsservice@CTR.PCUSA.ORG>
Date Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:05:06 -0500

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======================================= This story is located at: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07029.htm

07029 January 11, 2007

Stated clerk calls on Burger King to talk higher wages for tomato pickers

Kirkpatrick challenges fast-food giant to follow the lead of Taco Bell

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE - The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian (U.S.A.), is urging fast-food giant Burger King to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to address wages and working conditions in the tomato fields.

The CIW is a Florida-based group of farmworkers who sponsored a successful national boycott of Taco Bell that ended in March 2005 after nearly four years of pressuring leaders of Yum! Bands, Inc., which, in addition to Taco Bell, owns Long John Silvers, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and A&W Root Beer restaurants.

The boycott led to a groundbreaking agreement that improved farmworker wages, guaranteed transparency in Taco Bell's tomato supply chain and established the first code of conduct for Florida agricultural suppliers that guarantees a meaningful role for farmworkers in the protection of their own rights.

The PC(USA)'s 214th General Assembly in 2002 endorsed the boycott and called for negotiations between Taco Bell, its tomato suppliers and CIW representatives.

Kirkpatrick said in his statement to Burger King, dated Jan. 10, that workers who pick tomatoes in Florida for Burger King continue to face poverty wages and exploitative working conditions.

"They still lack rights enjoyed by workers in other industries," Kirkpatrick wrote.

Most tomato pickers still receive roughly the same pay as in 1978 - 40 to 45 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick. To earn $50 a day, considered a good haul, workers must pick about 125 buckets of tomatoes, or about two tons.

Kirkpatrick said in his letter that Burger King has an obligation to correct the deficiencies.

"The only thing missing in order to end the human rights abuses of tomato pickers is Burger King's willingness," Kirkpatrick wrote. "Any company who profits from the exploitation of others is morally and ethically responsible for ending that exploitation."

Last June, the PC(USA)'s 217th General Assembly approved a resolution calling for ongoing work with the CIW in the campaign to get fast-food corporations to ensure the human rights of farmworkers harvesting their tomatoes by partnering with the CIW and advancing the precedents established in the Taco Bell-CIW agreement.

The CIW is also currently calling on hamburger giant McDonald's Inc. and Chipotle Mexican Grill to improve wages and working conditions. The Office of the Stated Clerk, the PC(USA)'s Campaign for Fair Food, which is a ministry of the Presbyterian Hunger Program; and Presbyterians across the country have joined the CIW in these efforts.

The Coalition, which is led by and represents more than 3,000 mostly Mexican, Guatemalan and Haitian farmworkers throughout Florida, eventually hopes to convince all major fast-food companies to pay more for tomatoes.

The CIW has also worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate and successfully prosecute six cases of farmworker slavery in recent years.

The text of Kirkpatrick's statement:

Across the nation, consumers of conscience are asking whether Burger King will ensure that the tomatoes it serves are produced fairly, respecting the human rights of the farmworkers who harvest them. Presbyterians are active within this growing movement for fair food and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a strong partner of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

The PC(USA) supports the historic agreement achieved between the CIW and Yum! Brands in March of 2005. This agreement has guaranteed improved wages for farmworkers, ensured transparency in Taco Bell's tomato supply chain, and, in partnership with the CIW farmworkers, established an enforceable, human rights-based code of conduct for Taco Bell's tomato suppliers.

In December 2005, I wrote to Burger King on behalf of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) to express our hope that your company would swiftly embrace the precedents established in this agreement and work together with the CIW to implement them within your own supply chain. Surprisingly, to date, your company has taken no action.

So at the close of 2006, farmworkers harvesting tomatoes for Burger King continue to face poverty wages and exploitative working conditions. They still lack rights enjoyed by workers in other industries. And another case of slavery in the agricultural industry was uncovered and (successfully) prosecuted with CIW's help. But these abhorrent conditions need not persist.

While the CIW-Yum agreement was one model for achieving the important precedents of improved wages, transparency, and farmworker participation in the protection of their own human rights, CIW and its partners recognize that the way in which Burger King implements these precedents must fit the particular demands of your supply chain.

Already at the table are the CIW's expertise, a flexible model and clear precedents. The only thing missing in order to end the human rights abuses of tomato pickers is Burger King's willingness. Any company who profits from the exploitation of others is morally and ethically responsible for ending that exploitation.

Given the severity of the problem and the readiness of a meaningful way forward, we are puzzled at your company's inaction. This is not the time for Burger King to stand on the sidelines of history. Your commitment is needed now.

May the dawn of 2007 be known as the moment that Burger King chose to shape history by advancing human rights for farmworkers in partnership with the CIW.

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