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Coalition of Immokalee Workers Wins Agreement with McDonald’s |
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| Bob Langert, left, vice president at McDonald’s and Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), shake hands on a new agreement, while Buddy McIntire of McIntire Produce (far left) and Tom Crick of the Carter Center (far right) and CIW members look on. |
After fighting for more than two years to get fast-food giant McDonald’s to pay better wages to workers who pick the tomatoes for the corporation’s burgers, the workers scored a victory today.
With the arrival of the 2007 McDonald’s Truth Tour in Chicago just days away, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), McDonald’s and its suppliers announced an agreement that guarantees McDonald’s will pay a penny more per pound to workers harvesting tomatoes for the company.
The pickers make, on average, less than $10,000 a year and have not had a raise in almost 30 years. At the current rate, workers must pick nearly 20 tons of tomatoes a year just to earn the minimum wage in a typical 10-hour day.
Also under the agreement, CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers will work together to develop a new code of conduct for Florida tomato growers as well as increase farm workers’ participation in monitoring supplier compliance. Farm workers will also participate in investigating worker complaints and in dispute resolution.
Additionally, CIW and McDonald’s produce suppliers will work together toward developing and implementing a credible third-party compliance-verification system.
Click here to read more about the agreement. At a press conference today, Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers said the agreement is a major step toward achieving justice for tomato pickers in Florida:
Two years ago, our agreement with Yum Brands marked the first step toward a distant dream of ensuring human rights for workers in Florida’s fields. Today, with McDonald’s, we have taken another major step toward a world where we as farm workers can enjoy a fair wage and humane working conditions in exchange for the hard and essential work we do every day.
We are not there yet, but we are getting there, and today’s agreement should send a strong message to the rest of the restaurant and supermarket industry that it is now time to stand behind the food they sell from the field to the table.
Representatives from the Carter Center, based in Atlanta, helped facilitate the agreement. Former President Jimmy Carter told today’s press conference:
This is a clear and welcome example of positive industry partnership. It demonstrates also McDonald’s leadership in social responsibility and CIW’s importance as a voice for farm worker rights. I encourage others to now follow the lead of McDonald’s and Taco Bell to achieve the much-needed change throughout the entire Florida-based tomato industry.
While they are celebrating this new accord, members of CIW and their allies at the Campaign for Fair Food are continuing with plans to come to Chicago on April 13–14, when they will announce expansion of the fight for farm labor justice throughout the fast-food industry.
On April 13, thousands of workers will rally outside McDonald’s headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., to let fast-food executives know they cannot continue to exploit workers while raking in huge profits. Taking part in the rally will be AFL-CIO Organizing Director Stewart Acuff; Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the Farm Workers union; the Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the National Council of Churches; Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.); and students and community leaders.
The following day in downtown Chicago, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will join other union and religious leaders to help the farm workers celebrate in a “carnival” and parade that celebrate culture, music and hope.
To download 2007 McDonanld’s Truth Tour information and materials, click here.
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