Taco Bell, farmworkers group to work together
/Friday afternoon protests at area Taco
Bell restaurants are history, now that the fast-food chain has agreed
to work with a Florida-based farmworkers coalition to address wages and
working conditions in the Florida tomato industry. Taco Bell, a
division of Louisville-based Yum! Brands, agreed March 8 to work with
the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the farmworkers organization. That
result pleases University of Notre Dame senior Melody Gonzalez, who
helped lead protests and awareness efforts in the South Bend area about
the working conditions of Florida tomato pickers. "It's over," Gonzalez
said this week. She had just returned from a two-week "Taco Bell Truth
Tour" sponsored by the workers coalition. The participants traveled the
country in buses, speaking at schools and churches about the plight of
field workers. Taco Bell and the coalition now plan to work together to
improve working conditions for field workers. Taco Bell agreed to fund
a penny per pound surcharge demanded by the suppliers of Florida
tomatoes and undertake joint efforts with the coalition to improve
working conditions. The coalition has agreed to end its three-year
boycott and protests at Taco Bell restaurants, saying that the
agreement "sets a new standard of social responsibility for the
fast-food industry." [more] and [more]
- Demonstration shows solidarity with workers [more]
