CIW, a worker-based human rights organization from Immokalee, Florida, has been coordinating with the SFA since 2000 to mitigate worker abuse and slavery in Florida’s tomato industry. Click here to see our full coverage of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. This is not new news," said Bertini. I can't seem to search up anything about Wendy's without people bagging on them for not joining the Coalition of imokalee workers' (CIW) fair food program, and it's all been pretty extreme. Bob Bertini, spokesman for Wendy's, told The Christian Post that the burger chain has experienced protests from CIW in the past. Every day, millions of migrant farmworkers do the back-breaking work of harvesting the fruits and vegetables that feed the entire country and, in turn, generate billions in profits for the trillion-dollar retail food industry. In turn, we expect them to take care of their employees. But only 20 to 25 percent of tomatoes in the United States are purchased from growers that take part in the program, the organizers estimate. They're demanding the corporation joins The Fair Food Program. The farmworkers are demanding Wendy’s sign onto the Fair Food Program, which would require the fast-food giant to purchase tomatoes from growers that follow a worker-designed code of conduct that includes a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and abuse in the fields. It is through this commitment that we are able to strengthen the boycott, and ensure that our network can fuel the growing demand for justice from farmworkers, people of faith, students and consumers of conscience. Wendy’s assurances that working conditions are fine in their greenhouse suppliers’ operations ring hollow when compared to the hard evidence of harsh conditions faced by workers in greenhouses, not to mention the well-documented failure of the auditing companies tasked with protecting workers from widespread labor and safety violations.

", "At its most basic, the Fair Food Program is about loving our neighbors as ourselves; respecting them, treating them with dignity and working together with them to ensure our common well-being," said Parsons. ciw-online.org | www.allianceforfairfood.org | www.sfalliance.org.

I know a lot of your own family members have struggled in the fields and at work. “Pay is substantially higher for these people.”. A program created by a group that organizes farmworkers has persuaded companies like Walmart and McDonald’s to buy their tomatoes from growers who follow strict labor standards. "Because of our high standards, we pay a premium to our tomato suppliers in Florida. www. Presbyterian Church (USA) has joined the effort to get the fast food giant Wendy's to join a program meant to improve the rights of agricultural workers. All except Wendy’s. "CIW demands we make payments to employees of the companies who supply our tomatoes from the Immokalee area in Florida -- even though they are not Wendy's employees," reads the entry. Every contribution goes a long way in not just supporting the burgeoning boycott, but supporting farmworkers' vision for dignity and respect in the U.S. agricultural industry for years to come. And we’re with you, and we’re going to fight and bring more and more awareness to this fight. Michigan Declaws Labor Unions as Opponents Call for 'Blood'. The Wendy’s Boycott has been built through a commitment to community, action, farmworker justice and the broader movement for Fair Food. Wendy’s: join the Fair Food Program now! The Importance of an Integrated Approach to Theology, Philosophy, and Apologetics, Transforming Young Lives in India Partner, Calling All Christians for the Health of Our Nation, Michigan Gov. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Wendy’s is the only major fast-food chain that has refused to sign onto the Fair Food Program. Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the PC (USA), said in a statement that FFP "is a social responsibility program that ensures humane treatment and increased pay for Florida tomato pickers. America doesn't work that way.". to your inbox each morning.