NAPLES DAILY NEWS

April 28, 2008

 

Farmworker coalition to visit Burger King headquarters Monday

 

Coalition of Immokalee Workers members will be at Burger King headquarters in Miami Monday to deliver petitions in pursuit of their push for higher wages for tomato pickers.

In a prepared statement, the Coalition said it is ready to present the results of its nationwide petition drive by people who say they are “prepared to stop patronizing Burger King.”

There is a press conference planned in Miami in connection with the visit to Burger King headquarters Monday by a delegation of farmworkers and consumers.

For the last two months, consumers across the country have been collecting signatures for the Coalition’s drive, the organization said in its release.

The east coast visit comes more than a week after farm labor conditions in Florida became the focus of a congressional inquiry before a labor committee.

In 2005, Yum! Brands, parent company of Taco Bell, signed an agreement with the Coalition to directly improve wages for the workers.

An agreement with McDonald’s restaurants followed and the Coalition then turned its attention to Burger King to seek better pay for the pickers of tomatoes that make their way to the chain’s restaurants.