April 10, 2007

Huge victory for immigrant farmworkers and student activists

Posted by Adam Doster at 4:23AM

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If you were ever skeptical whether grassroots organizing, large marches or hunger strikes actually produced tangible results, look no further than the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). The amazing folks down in Florida together with Student Farmworker Alliance won another huge victory yesterday when they announced plans to work with McDonald's USA to address wages and working conditions of Florida tomato pickers. After two years of pressure, the burger barons acquiesced to all of CIW's demands, the most notable being that McDonald's must pay an additional penny per pound for Florida tomatoes supplied to its American branches. The other victories are far from inconsequential. According to a CIW press release, "The CIW and McDonald's produce suppliers will work together to develop a new code of conduct for Florida tomato growers as well as increase farmworker participation in monitoring supplier compliance. Farmworkers will also participate in investigating worker complaints and dispute resolution. Additionally, the CIW and McDonald's produce suppliers will work together toward developing and implementing a credible third-party verification system."

Even with the victory, the CIW and its partners at the Student Farmworker Alliance still believe that the actions scheduled for next weekend in Chicago are vitally important both to recollect on their recent efforts and to build momentum for the future. CIW will make their first official victory announcement at Friday's rally outside McDonald's corporate global headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, accompanied by Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and U.S Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), among others. Saturday's carnival, modeled on Latin American celebrations of cultural identity and joy, now seems even more appropriate. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and a host of others will march through downtown Chicago, raising awareness of the injustices CIW and its allies continually fight to overcome.

The McDonald's triumph does not conclude the farmworkers fight for economic justice in the fast food industry. Next on tap is Burger King, who CIW has been in deliberations with for around 18 months. As recently as February, McDonald's main competitor refused to accept an almost identical proposal, arguing that although the organization is "sympathetic and concerned about the substandard living conditions faced by the workers," the wage increase will have a minimal effect because Burger King has no direct relationship with any growers, only produce repackaging companies. CIW organizers emphatically deconstructed this point, arguing that in the case of a food-born illness breakout, the company needs to trace where it's produce comes from in their supply chain. With the most iconic fast food chain climbing on board with CIW, the pressure on Burger King will only grow. In the meantime, a Carnival sounds pretty damn nice.

For more background on CIW and Student Farmworker Alliance, check out these recent WireTap stories.

Unhappy Meals
http://www.wiretapmag.org/rights/43051

Open Letter to Ronald McDonald
http://www.wiretapmag.org/activism/43050/