2008 Woodie Awards
BURGER esperanza KING
Jeffrey Sawyer
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Headlines
M.E.Ch.A, a club at Western, has joined a national movement to help those in need. They have been participating in a national petition of Burger King in order to "end sweatshops and modern-day slavery in the fields."
The "fields," they are referring to are some tomato farms in Florida. The "slavery" the national campaign is fighting against is how the workers in Florida tomato farms are being treated and paid. These farmers are not paid by the hour, but by how much produce they bring in per day. They are paid roughly 45 cents for every 32 pound-bucket, according to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The CIW is a community-based worker organization who is working with M.E.Ch.A groups all over the nation for their petition.
On average, about one hundred tomatoes are needed to fill one bucket, in order for a farm worker to make 45 cents.
According to the CIW, Florida tomato farm workers have not seen a raise since 1980 and at today's rate would have to pick nearly two and half tons worth of tomatoes in just one day to keep up with the current minimum wage.
Immokalee is Florida's largest farm workers community and is represented by the CIW. Since starting in 1993, the CIW has won industry-wide raises for the workers (the wages were brought back up to the 1980 level) and bringing six modern-day slavery operations to justice.
In 2001, the CIW began its national boycott of Taco Bell. They called on the fast food company to "take responsibility for human rights abuses in the fields where its produce is grown and picked." After four years of putting pressure on Taco Bell through student, religious, labor and community support the company met all of the CIW's demands to improve working conditions and wages in its supply chain in March 2005.
In April 2007, a similar agreement was reached with McDonald's. Their next target is Burger King, who is also a large purchaser of Florida tomatoes.
Western's M.E.Ch.A chapter is involved with this boycott in a couple of ways. They have been collecting students' signatures for the national petition. Students who are interested can sign the petition until April 24. They will also be mailing a letter to the local Burger King restaurants in Dallas and Salem to pressure them to end "sub-poverty wages" and a "denial of fundamental labor rights," by contacting their superiors and urging them to push for changes.
The "fields," they are referring to are some tomato farms in Florida. The "slavery" the national campaign is fighting against is how the workers in Florida tomato farms are being treated and paid. These farmers are not paid by the hour, but by how much produce they bring in per day. They are paid roughly 45 cents for every 32 pound-bucket, according to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The CIW is a community-based worker organization who is working with M.E.Ch.A groups all over the nation for their petition.
On average, about one hundred tomatoes are needed to fill one bucket, in order for a farm worker to make 45 cents.
According to the CIW, Florida tomato farm workers have not seen a raise since 1980 and at today's rate would have to pick nearly two and half tons worth of tomatoes in just one day to keep up with the current minimum wage.
Immokalee is Florida's largest farm workers community and is represented by the CIW. Since starting in 1993, the CIW has won industry-wide raises for the workers (the wages were brought back up to the 1980 level) and bringing six modern-day slavery operations to justice.
In 2001, the CIW began its national boycott of Taco Bell. They called on the fast food company to "take responsibility for human rights abuses in the fields where its produce is grown and picked." After four years of putting pressure on Taco Bell through student, religious, labor and community support the company met all of the CIW's demands to improve working conditions and wages in its supply chain in March 2005.
In April 2007, a similar agreement was reached with McDonald's. Their next target is Burger King, who is also a large purchaser of Florida tomatoes.
Western's M.E.Ch.A chapter is involved with this boycott in a couple of ways. They have been collecting students' signatures for the national petition. Students who are interested can sign the petition until April 24. They will also be mailing a letter to the local Burger King restaurants in Dallas and Salem to pressure them to end "sub-poverty wages" and a "denial of fundamental labor rights," by contacting their superiors and urging them to push for changes.
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