By TRACY X. MIGUEL

 

Fresh off a settlement with Burger King Corp. to boost wages and improve conditions for Florida tomato pickers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is targeting Chipotle Mexican Grill, Subway and Whole Foods Market.

Hundreds of members from United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) will be in Denver during the group’s three-day conference and they plan to visit Chipotle’s corporate headquarters on Aug. 8 to demand that the restaurant chain work with the coalition to ensure fairer wages and a comprehensive code of conduct.

Jordan Buckley, a member of Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida, said the coalition, a farmworkers advocacy group, also wants to participate in the “negotiating table” in the same way that companies do to discuss issues with suppliers.

For the past two years, the group has been demanding a response from Chipotle, the Colorado-based company that serves burritos, tacos and other Mexican-style food.

Buckley said Chipotle’s initial response was to stop purchasing tomatoes from Florida.

The company, once part of McDonald’s restaurants, became its own identity nearly two years ago.

The coalition wants Chipotle to live up to its “Food with Integrity” manifesto, which maintains it has concerns for animals, farmers and the environment, but notably excludes farmworkers, Buckley said.

“We are calling for Chipotle to fix the gap between the rhetoric of food with integrity and the reality of exploitation in the fields,” Buckley said.

Chipotle and Subway representatives could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

In March, the Whole Foods Market produce team met with representatives of the coalition and Students for Fair Food. Since then, its team has maintained communication with the coalition, Whole Foods spokeswoman Libba Letton said in a prepared statement.

Whole Foods is in the process of engaging a third-party certifier to discuss the development of a social accountability certification for domestic produce. The company would like this certification to have criteria similar to the Whole Trade Guarantee, which meets its high quality standards, provides a fair price to producers, ensures better conditions for workers and cares for the environment, according to the prepared statement.

Letton said Whole Foods looks forward to continuing a dialogue with the coalition.

The coalition also has successfully targeted major fast-food corporations, demanding an end to modern slavery.

This is the fourth time that the coalition has targeted national fast-food chains.

Two years ago, it reached an agreement to improve wages and working conditions for farmworkers with Taco Bell's owners, Yum! Brands. Earlier this year, agreements were reached with McDonald’s and Burger King.

Among Immokalee residents who plan to attend the conference and rally in Denver is Meghan Cohorst, co-coordinator of the Student/Farmworker Alliance.

And at least one coalition member plans to attend the conference and rally.

“They cannot hide behind Burger King,” Cohorst said. “They cannot hide behind McDonald’s anymore.”