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May 22, 2008
Fight between Burger King, farmworkers may end
An end to the fight between Burger King and the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers could come as soon as Friday morning.
A news conference called for 10:30 a.m. Friday in Washington D.C.
includes Burger King Senior Vice President Amy Wagner, CIW co-founder
Lucas Benitez and Bernie Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont.
The Miami fast-food chain has been in a standoff with the activist group
for over a year regarding what should be done to improve wages for
tomato workers. The Coalition has wanted Burger King to pay a penny per
pound more for its tomatoes, similar to agreements approved by Taco Bell
and McDonald's.
Burger King has remained adamant it won't sign on to the deal because
the chain buys its tomatoes from repackers, not from growers, so it has
no way to get money to the workers. The extra penny per pound would cost
Burger King about $250,000 a year. None of the deals with the other
fast-food chains are now in effect because the tomato growers refuse to
participate.
The pressure for the two sides to negotiate escalated over the past
month after Sanders chaired a Senate labor committee hearing in April
concerning farmworker wages and working conditions. |