ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 3, 2006

Bishops protest wage
CATHOLICS ADVOCATE FOR FLORIDA PICKERS.

MIAMI - The Conference of Catholic Bishops has joined the cadre of religious groups calling on McDonald's Corp. to push for higher wages for workers who pick its tomatoes.

The Washington-based group of Roman Catholic bishops urged the fast-food company to work with the Florida agricultural industry and the farmworker advocacy group Coalition of Immokalee Workers, to reach an agreement similar to the one reached last year with Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands Inc., the parent of the Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC fast-food chains, after a four-year boycott.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y., head of the bishops' Domestic Policy Committee, authored the letter to McDonald's CEO James Skinner.

DiMarzio acknowledged that McDonald's and other fast-food companies do not directly control farmworker wages, but added, "with your substantial purchasing power, you can insist that your produce suppliers meet high ethical standards in how they treat their workers."

A message left by The Associated Press on Monday for McDonald's was not immediately returned.