As part of the Socialist Party’s Fair Food/Immigrant Worker Solidarity Campaign, the Socialist Party of Michigan will be holding an informational picket in front of Burger King in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Anyone who supports this cause is encouraged to participate in this demonstration. Details are below:
Saturday December 1st
12:00PM-2:00PM
Burger King at 2295 W Stadium Blvd
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Signs and literature will be provided for everyone who attends.
The picket will be followed by the December Socialist Party of Michigan meeting at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library at 2:30PM. See the “Meetings” listing on the right for more details.
From the CIW: Farmworkers who pick tomatoes for the fast-food industry are among this country’s most exploited workers: sub-poverty wages, no right to form unions, no benefits of any kind, and no raise in nearly 30 years. In he most extreme cases, farmworkers are held in modern-day slavery and forced to work against their will. Since 1997, federal officials working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) have uncovered and prosecuted five operations of modern-day slavery in the fields, freeing over 1,000 workers.
In March 2005, following a four-year boycott, Taco Bell agreed to work with the CIW to set new standards for the treatment of farmworkers in its supply chain. Similarly, after a 2-year campaign, McDonald’s also agreed to work with the CIW to increase farmworker wages and create a code of conduct based on the principle of worker participation. But the Campaign for Fair Food—aimed at expanding and deepening these gains for all farmworkers continues. Burger King, the second largest hamburgerchain on the planet, profits from farmworker poverty by leveraging its purchasing power to drive down tomato prices and, therefore, tomato pickers’ wages. Burger King has publicly rejected the CIW’s demand to work together to address the human rights crisis in Florida’s fields, and instead callously suggested that farmworkers be “re-trained” to work in Burger King restaurants. Meanwhile, BK recently announced a new initiative to safeguard the well-being of farm animals in its supply chain.
Take Action for Fair Food Today!
For more information on the Fair Food Campaign, Visit:
Coalition of Immokalee Workers: http://www.ciw-online.org
Student Farmworker Alliance: http://www.sfalliance.org
Alliance for Fair Food: http://www.allianceforfairfood.org