http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/corporate/about-200-march-on-south-tampa-publix-wendys-to-protest-farm-worker/2318497
Wendy's tomato sourcing has been a topic of hot debate the past several years. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) began food worker reforms in the Florida tomato industry after harsh working conditions for Immokalee, FL laborers were challenged. The development of a Fair Food Program in 2011 brought promising reforms to the treatment of food workers in terms of wages, working conditions, and sexual harassment. Although publicity pressured most major food corporations and distributors to join the program, including Walmart, Trader Joe's, and McDonald's, Wendy's refused to join, purporting that it was not its job to pay a higher wage (the program includes an increased $0.01 per pound of tomatoes purchased), but rather the responsibility of those who hire the laborers. On top of that, that specific Wendy's franchise in Tampa changed where they bought their tomatoes (Mexico) to claim that they follow the Fair Food Program, as CIW is specific to Florida
This brings up a topic that we haven't talked about in class. Although we have discussed briefly the sort of economic enslavement that corporations can force food growers and farmers, workers' rights is an issue we did not bring up. I'm wondering what you all think of this - is it the responsibility of Wendy's? Is the CIW targeting the wrong group? Also, is there a better method of going about these types of changes, as our "Eating Animals" lecturer from Compassion in World Farming discussed?
No comments:
Post a Comment