Burger King Agrees to Raise Wages for Tomato Workers (by Elizabeth Denlinger)
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers announced Friday that after a prolonged and often heated campaign, Burger King has agreed to award tomato pickers 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes picked, the equivalent of a 71 percent increase in wages.
The decision was announced on Capitol Hill last Friday. Watch the press conference:
Sojourners has been involved with the campaign since June 2007, and in little less than a year, more than 25,000 of our activists sent more than 125,000 letters to the fast-food chain and its supporters. Given the slavery indictments in regions of south
While Burger King’s agreement is a long-awaited victory, their stalling and obstructing other companies from coming on board over the past year is unconscionable. In the end, the second-largest burger chain estimated that the agreement will cost it $300,000 annually, yet last year the company made $2.23 billion in profits.
We must continue to demand justice for workers at all levels of our economy, and we applaud the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for this victory on that path.
To learn more about Friday’s agreement, check out The New York Times and Nation reports.
Elizabeth Denlinger is deputy director for policy and organizing at Sojourners.
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Comments
Now if we could just convince people to not eat at Burger King...
Posted by: Eric | May 28, 2008 11:33 AM
Actually, Eric, the goal should now be to get people *to* eat at Burger King, especially if they were boycotting it previously. A boycott is only meaningful if, once the demands are met, the boycotters return their business.
Posted by: Another nonymous | May 28, 2008 1:24 PM
Anothern non... I was thinking more in terms of people's health.
Posted by: Eric | May 28, 2008 1:36 PM
Well, yeah; I'm not a big hamburger fan myself. I can't remember how many calories a Whopper has, but it's not good.
Posted by: Another nonymous | May 28, 2008 1:42 PM
It's pretty much a day's worth of calories. However, you can order a grilled chicken salad, which comes with tomatoes and doesn't kill you.
I wonder how many people really boycotted them -- since I don't do fast food -- and don't really know people who do.
Posted by: frankie | May 28, 2008 2:52 PM
This may sound really elitist, but I'd be willing to bet that the people who pay attention to boycotts over immigrant labor issue or who read magazines like Sojourners don't eat at BK in the first place. I doubt a boycott had much effect. I'm sure the negative press and publicity as well as face to face negotiations are a lot more effective.
Posted by: Eric | May 28, 2008 3:33 PM
there was a boycott? who knew? roger
Posted by: roger | May 28, 2008 3:55 PM
frankie and others of like mind - I read Sojourners and so do a few of my friends. We partcipated in the boycott, the Whopper is one of our "now and then" favorite fast food burgers. We shall eat them again, maybe no more than once every couple of weeks - but that was our routine.
The boycott worked because it created the negtive press. Which got the "King" to change.
Never give up the fight for fairness in His Name -
Peace of the Lord be with you all,
Randyt
Posted by: Randy T | May 28, 2008 3:58 PM
Ever since they called for a boycott I have not eaten at BK or any of the other Yum Brands chains which include Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC. BK was easy as I never really liked them anyway. Sometimes I would crave a Nachos Bell Grande but just ignored it as I was participating in the boycott. Thank goodness Mickey D's was never a factor as I eat there at least once a month. From everything I gathered when this boycott started Mickey D's acceeded fairly easily to the demand for more money per pound of tomatoes and their prices didn't go up at all, which was the other companies excuses for not paying more per pound.
It just goes to prove sometimes boycotts do work and that boycotts do affect the bottom line for the corporations.
Posted by: KathyG | May 28, 2008 4:26 PM
Another good way to help people is to go to Freerice.com. For every word you get the right definition for they donate 20 grains of rice to help feed the poor in other countries. It's through the UN and I've done it several times. It's very easy and you can increase your vocabulary while you are helping other people.
Posted by: KathyG | May 28, 2008 4:38 PM
I wonder if they are this passionate about making sure all of the workers have the correct and legal papers to work in this country.
.....doubt it.
Posted by: hatman | May 28, 2008 5:00 PM
hatman: "I wonder if they are this passionate about making sure all of the workers have the correct and legal papers to work in this country.
.....doubt it."
Your point being?
Posted by: carl copas | May 28, 2008 7:05 PM
Hatman: "I wonder if they are this passionate about making sure all of the workers have the correct and legal papers to work in this country."
Considering their employers have been convicted of slavery numerous times, I think the answer to that question is self-evident, Hatman. But I'm certain your self-righteousness as an American has room to show concern for that.
Posted by: RJohnson | May 28, 2008 8:41 PM
Here's the deal: how about everyone who is concerned about social justice just stop supporting fast-food monopolies entirely and buy more tomatoes and other fresh produce from their local farmer's market or supermarket? The tomato pickers won't lose their jobs and it's better for your arteries, the environment, and the world grain situation.
Posted by: I and I | May 29, 2008 10:16 AM
I and I - Exactly! It's not just the poor wages of tomato pickers, it's the entire commercialized food system that's the problem.
While it's great that BK has agreed to pay the pickers a little more, what about all the other unhealthy and inhumane things that go into fast food. How are the animals raised? What has the constant eating at restaurants (fast and otherwise) done to our appreciation of what it takes to actually get food on our tables? What has it done to family dinner time and trying to eat healthy foods? We, as Americans, spend so much money "eating out" that could be better spent making sure others have what they need to eat. Getting justice for tomato workers is like flicking one fire ant off your right arm while 50 more climb up your left.
My rant is over for now...
Posted by: Eric | May 29, 2008 12:34 PM
It could be another smarty marketing move of Burger King. I wonder why people still go there and buy the unhealthy food...?
http://www.thefaithdebate.com
Posted by: live_life | May 29, 2008 12:40 PM
Woopty-Doo! Burger King gives a couple extra dollars to the tomato pickers! How is that progress? $300,000 per year? Are you kidding? How many tomato pickers work for Burger King? That $300,000 isn't going to go very far when it's divied out among hundreds. In our current economic climate, it will mean even less. Burger King is the winner in this case, not the tomato pickers. Burger King gives away a few bucks, gets some good promo time in the news and walks away looking like a hero. Meanwhile, the workers who have fought so hard for so much more are left with nothing but a consolation prize. Burger King has built itself on the backs of these workers, and yet this most American of institutions doesn't have the decency to even provide them with an hourly wage.
Posted by: James | May 29, 2008 7:49 PM
How many of us realize that when we eat burgers we are also contributing to the world food crisis? It takes a lot more grain/feed to produce a pound of beef. Eric makes a very good point in questioning how the beef was raised. It is a little disconcerting to realize what goes into raising these animals and how they were treated and slaughtered.
Posted by: Jane | May 30, 2008 9:31 AM
RE beef and other meats and use of grains - Jane.
If your beef, or lamb is grass fed, and not from a feed lot, the issue of misuse of grains does not apply.
This is particularly so if the area cannot be used for growing grains, ie too rocky/steep/arid etc, or if the stock are part of a sustainable rotation where they are used to manage pastures and consume crop residues. In fact it is better for ruminant animals not to be fed a high energy low fibre diet. They can convert low quality foodstuff to high quality products (milk, meat, wool and hides) and that is the role they have fulfilled since we domesticated them. It is only recently that we have developed feed lots etc.
Pigs in particular must be fed rations on which a human can survive, but may not find very palatable, (see prodigal son) so in times of grain shortage, they should be reduced in number. Chooks are similar.
So like the discussion re the purchase of food from the big fast food (sometimes gives a good run for your money) our purchases can be optional, and where there are options, choose carefully. It may cost a bit more though. However some knowledge of what the sources / handling / profiteering involved is useful so that ones choices can be properly targeted.
Another issue has been the substantial lack of investment in R&D in agriculture in many parts of the world as a result of the export distortions of subsidies which corrupt the world prices of grains. (The US Farm bill should be carefully inspected with respect to distortions of both the market and benefits not being delivered to those who need support). Consequently the level of productivity is well below possible and the incomes of rural communities has been depressed in many nations.
In some respects increasing the price of basic commodities may not be such a bad thing provided that the producer gest a reasonable cut of the increased consumer’s price. Unfortunately pigs do not fly well – just look at coffee. Same issue as the tomatoes, equitable distribution of returns to all in the supply chain.
Posted by: JohnH | May 30, 2008 11:19 AM
I was one of the people who boycotted and wrote emails to Burger King and I am pleased to say that I will buy from Burger King again. I am celebrating the justice!!!
Posted by: Beverly Hatcher | June 9, 2008 9:07 PM
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