The New Face of the Global Justice Movement:
Taco Bell Boycott Victory - A Model of Strategic Organizing

An interview with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
[8-24-05]

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a community-based worker organization. Their members are largely Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. They recently won a landmark victory in their national boycott of Taco Bell this March 2005, when amidst growing pressure from students, churches and communities throughout the country, Taco Bell agreed to meet all their demands to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers in its supply chain.

David Solnit is a direct action organizer, puppeteer, and the editor of "Globalize Liberation: How to Uproot the System and Build a Better World." He is currently involved in organizing and popularizing people power strategies to end the Iraq war and occupation, and has worked for the past four years as an ally of CIW.

He interviewed CIW workers, and reports their responses to his questions about some of the major elements in their victory, including creating consciousness of their situation, building alliances [in which the PC(USA) was one partner] and networks, framing and telling their story, developing leadership skills among their farm-worker members, and planning campaigns with a series of clear, short-term goals that could be met and celebrated.

Read the rest of the story >>

After years of hard work and an incredible victory for Taco Bell tomato pickers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has announced their new target: the Fast Food World, including McDonalds and Burger King!

Read the AP report in TruthOut or the New York Times >>

And don’t forget the PBS NOW special on the CIW airs this Friday, May 27, and features the CIW, Yum Brands, as well as members and national staff from the PC(USA). Check www.pbs.org for local times and listings and spread the word!

For sample letters you can send to Burger King, McDonald's, and Subway, encouraging them to work with the CIW, visit www.pcusa.org/fairfood.

Rescheduled for Friday, May 27th

This Friday evening, May 20th, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Yum Brands and the Presbyterian Church will be featured on the PBS news show, "Now."

Farm workers from the CIW, Yum Brands executives, church members and national staff of the PC(USA) will discuss the boycott of Taco Bell, how the victory for human rights was achieved, and the next steps of extending this landmark agreement throughout the fast food industry.

Don’t miss this informative program! For details on precise times and listings, visit www.pbs.org and search for the program "Now."

Visit www.pcusa.org/fairfood to learn more and for sample letters you can send to McDonald’s, Burger King, and Subway urging them to follow Taco Bell’s lead.

The victory by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers over Yum! Brand Foods, owner of Taco Bell, is celebrated by Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation and Reefer Madness, in an Op/Ed article in the New York Times.

About the role of religious groups and others, he says:

At first Taco Bell tried to ignore the protests and to deny responsibility for the behavior of its suppliers…The company's attitude gradually changed as the boycott gained support not only from students, but also from the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the National Council of Churches, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights and former President Jimmy Carter, among others.

Read the article >>

Noelle Damico, the national coordinator of the PC(USA)'s Taco Bell boycott, adds:

Stay tuned to www.pcusa.org/fairfood for next steps in working with CIW and Yum Brands to extend this human rights victory throughout the fast food industry.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Taco Bell reach groundbreaking agreement   [5-8-05]

Speaking out of his own visit with Immokalee farm workers in Florida, and having seen what many of the Mexican workers go through in his own state of Arizona to find work in the US, Ufford-Chase reminds us that "The church at its best remembers that we are customers, employees, franchisers, farmworkers, and executives; that we are created for community and that justice is a community concept. All of us are children of God, called to recognize God's image in one another, and commanded to live in ways that promote God's shalom (well-being; just-peace)."

Church leaders call for Christians to fast and pray on Fridays during Lent for a just resolution of the Taco Bell boycott   [2-15-05]

Precedent-setting agreement reached; Mt. Olive Pickle boycott over   [9-17-04]

After five years of a public action boycott by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC), it has reached a precedent setting agreement with the North Carolina Grower's Association (NCGA) and the Mount Olive Pickle Company.

United Methodist Church endorses the boycott

Notre Dame delays renewal of contract with Taco Bell

Student hunger strikes continue, and supporters are urged to write to Taco Bell, demanding fair wages.   [4-17-04]

Noelle Damico, National Coordinator of the Taco Bell Boycott for the PC(USA), has sent us a message from Oxfam, urging those who care for justice to send an e-message to the CEO of Yum! Brands, David Novak, before Yum!'s annual meeting on 5/20/04. The message includes a link for e-action, through which you can send a quick-and-easy message.

Noelle Damico participated with others in an Oxfam press conference in Immokalee on Monday, coinciding with the release of an Oxfam report called "Like Machines in the Field." They also called upon Yum! to be an industry leader in ensuring their supply chain is exploitation-free.

You'll find reports of the press conference at pcusa.org/boycott, ciw-online.org, oxfamamerica.org or www.ncccusa.org.

The note from Oxfam:

Or click here to jump directly to the e-action link.

Dear Friends,

We need your help to pressure the largest fast food company in the world to pay a penny a pound more to farmworkers who pick their tomatoes. Can you send out the following email on your list serves urging your supporters to take action to defend the rights of workers in America's fields? A couple clicks from you and thousands of others will make a difference.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Oxfam America are organizing email letters to be sent to David Novak, the Chairman and CEO of Yum Brands. Your supporters can send a letter to him by clicking on the e-action below.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers are urging Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and others, to take responsibility for worker rights within their supply chain. The piece rate paid to farmworkers in Florida is 65% less today than in 1978, which means they have to pick two tons of tomatoes a day to earn $50. And Yum Brands, the largest fast food company in the world, is one of the largest buyers of tomatoes from Florida growers. It's time that workers get a fair share for their labor!

The Coalition began in 1995 when they organized a five-day general strike to fight against a reduction in the piece rates received for tomato picking. The result: they won and the movement is building. To date twelve college campuses have refused to renew contracts with Taco Bell. More efforts are needed to ensure better wages for farmworkers in Florida.

In addition to the direct link to this e-action you will also find a link to the Oxfam America's recently published report, "Like Machines in the Field: Workers without Rights in American Agriculture." If you want hard copies of this report please contact Beth Williamson by email (bwilliamson@oxfamamerica.org) or by telephone (617-728-2523).

In solidarity,

Minor Sinclair
U.S. Program Director
Oxfam America

"This is a real human rights issue -- a fundamental human rights issue, said Robinson, who served five years as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights."

Palm Beach Post -- March 16^th

"Companies must take responsibility for worker rights in their supply chains and respect core labor standards that protect workers from these abuses, said Ray Offenheiser, Oxfam's executive director."

CommonDreams News Center -- March 16^th

Louisville Presbyterians join tomato pickers in 8-mile protest march 

Presbyterian News Service reports that dozens of sympathetic Presbyterians participated in a demonstration by over 150 people, including many farmworkers who had come from Florida to march to the headquarters of Yum! Brands - parent company of Taco Bell - to urge them to pressure force tomato buyers to improve the wages and working conditions of farm workers.

The action in California

The Rev. Noelle Damico, Coordinator of the Taco Bell Boycott for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), notifies us that the farmworkers from Immokalee, Florida, will be holding a Truth tour from February 25 through March 5th. In Louisville on February 27 the workers and supporters will march from the PC(USA) headquarters to Yum! Brands (Taco Bell's parent company). And beginning March 2 workers will march from East LA down to Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, CA arriving on March 5.

Dear Friends:

In 2001, farmworkers from Immokalee, Florida called for a national consumer boycott of Taco Bell restaurants and products in an effort to end exploitation in the fields where the company's tomatoes are picked. This boycott was endorsed by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in June 2002.

I'm writing to let you know that the farmworkers will be holding a Truth tour from February 25 through March 5th. In Louisville on February 27 the workers and supporters will march from the PC(USA) headquarters to Yum! Brands (Taco Bell's parent company). And beginning March 2 workers will march from East LA down to Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, CA arriving on March 5. This is a wonderful opportunity for you and your congregation to learn more about the boycott, participate in actions in your area, and lift up the boycott and the issues behind it in worship. The attached flyer provides basic information on the truth tour and how you can help. In addition the "Boycott in Brief" provides background information on what led to the boycott and the PC(USA)'s participation in the boycott.

To learn more about the boycott visit www.pcusa.org/boycott

To lend support to the workers' truth tour contact the Rev. Noelle Damico at boycott@pcusa.org or 631-371-9877.

In peace,
Noelle

The Rev. Noelle Damico, Coordinator
Taco Bell Boycott
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
ndamico@ctr.pcusa.org
www.pcusa.org/boycott
cell 631-371-9877

The Saint Petersburg Times reports on the boycott, both locally and nationally.

Reflecting last year's General Assembly action endorsing a national boycott of Taco Bell, in an effort to get decent compensation for agricultural workers in Florida who harvest tomatoes that are purchased by the fast-food giant, a number of Presbyterians joined some 50 farm workers and supporters in a protest action at the headquarters of Yum! Brands Inc., owner of Taco Bell.

Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick addressed the crowd, calling the boycott of Taco Bell the "morally right thing to do," and asserting that "the abuse of farm workers in this country" is one of the "small atrocities of our time."

Presbyterian News Service offers a report with photos.  The full text is on our site, too.

As the farm workers broke their 10 day fast for fair food and justice on Ash Wednesday, Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick called upon all Presbyterians to continue and augment the workers' efforts to bring Taco Bell into negotiations with its tomato suppliers, to seek fair wages for their workers.

Presbyterians will hold a vigil in support of the farm workers at the YUM! Brands Annual Meeting, May 15, 2003, Louisville.  YUM! is the parent company of Taco Bell.

The Presbyterian Church has endorsed a consumer boycott of Taco Bell restaurants, in support of efforts by Florida tomato growers to gain better wages and working/living conditions.

The General Assembly Council, meeting in Louisville, heard a report on the early stages of the boycott of Taco Bell that was approved by the Presbyterian General Assembly in June, in response to an overture from the Presbytery of Tampa Bay as a way of seeking justice for agricultural workers.

New resources on the Web -- including for Labor Day Sunday

The PCUSA web page for the Taco Bell boycott has been vastly expanded. It now includes the General Assembly action calling for the boycott, background for the action, suggestions of what to do - including how to write to the President of Taco Bell.

And especially relevant right now: Resources for Labor Day Sunday, including a new hymn (to the tune of "Amazing Grace"! And commentary for the lectionary readings for this Sunday.

Resources to support beleaguered tomato pickers available on Web

by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE - 23-August-2002 - [posted here 8-29-02]  Presbyterian Church (USA) officials have chosen Labor Day to launch a General Assembly-authorized boycott of Taco Bell restaurants.

The aim of the action is to pressure Taco Bell's parent company, fast-food giant Yum! Foods, to raise the wages of tomato harvesters in Imokalee (rhymes with broccoli) in Florida.

Commissioners to this year's GA voted 297-176 in favor of an overture from Tampa Bay Presbytery in support of the Coalition of Imokalee Workers (CIW), a farm workers' organization in southwestern Florida comprised mainly of Haitian and Mexican migrant workers.

Six L's Packing Company, one of the nation's largest tomato growers and a major supplier of Taco Bell, pays a CIW worker about $25 for picking and hauling a ton of tomatoes. According to the U.S. government, the piece-rate of 40 cents per 30-pound bucket hasn't changed since 1978.

Six L's annual profit has averaged $120 million since 1986. Taco Bell reported $5.2 billion in sales in 1999.

The boycott will be "Web-based," according to the Rev. Gary Cook, coordinator of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, who explains, "Taco Bell's target market is 18- to 24-year-old males, so the place to reach them is on the Web."

Cook said existing denominational networks, such as the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and women's and racial-ethnic advocacy groups, will help rally support for the boycott.

The Rev. Noelle Damico, a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister who is married to a Presbyterian minister, will coordinate of the PC(USA) campaign. She is a former coordinator of the UCC's year-old Taco Bell boycott.

A variety of boycott-related resources for congregations, including litanies, minutes for mission, skits, hymns and lectionary-based material, is available on the campaign's official Web site: www.pcusa.org/boycott

Also in the works is a Thanksgiving-holiday "immersion experience" for Presbyterians who would like to experience first-hand the living and working conditions of the Imokalee workers. The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the denomination's stated clerk, is scheduled to meet with CIW leaders in Imokalee on Nov. 13 - shortly before the opening of the National Council of Churches General Assembly in nearby Tampa.

According to Cook, the PC(USA) boycott has drawn the attention of Yum! Foods, whose corporate headquarters is in Louisville.

After receiving notification of the boycott from Kirkpatrick, Yum! officials sent letters to John Detterick, executive director of the General Assembly Council (GAC) and the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, the GA moderator, calling the boycott decision "a mistake."

Yum! argues that the labor dispute is between CIW and Six L's. Not so, says Cook.

"There's some good debate out there now about corporate 'supply line' behavior," Cook told the Presbyterian News Service in an Aug. 22 interview, pointing out that Six L's is "heavily dependent" on its contract to supply tomatoes to Taco Bell.

Citing controversies over U.S. clothiers' use of offshore sweat-shop labor to produce low-cost garments and the growing movement demanding "fair trade" in commodities such as coffee, Cook said corporate giants like Taco Bell are under increasing pressure to see that their contractors are offering adequate wages and decent working conditions.

"It's ironic that animal-rights activists have forced more humane treatment of animals by these giant companies, but they feel no such compulsion when it comes to the treatment of their workers," Cook said.

The temptation in boycott situations like this, Cook said, "is for the church to bargain on behalf of the workers." On the other hand, he said, "Our approach to Taco Bell is to tell them, 'Look, if you want to talk, it should be with the workers, not with us.'"

To contact the boycott staff in Louisville, send a note to boycott@pcusa.org

[updated on 8-14-02]

by Berry Craig

[7-30-02]

I almost popped my Presbyterian buttons when I heard the General Assembly voted to join the national boycott of Taco Bell fast-food restaurants and products.

This fourth-generation Presbyterian, union activist and Mexican food fan has been backing the boycott since it began. Welcome aboard, PCUSA.

The boycott is in support of Florida farm workers, most of them Hispanic, Haitian and Mayan Indian migrants, who pick tomatoes used by Taco Bell. They labor long hours at low pay in miserable working conditions - a brutal real-life version of the "Grapes of Wrath."

"The tomatoes Taco Bell buys for its tacos and Chalupas are produced in what can only be described as sweatshop conditions," said Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. "Twenty years of picking at sub-poverty wages, no right to overtime pay, no right to organize or join a union, no health insurance, no sick leave, no paid holidays or vacation, and no pension is a national disgrace."

"We as farm workers are tired of subsidizing Taco Bell's profits with our poverty," added Romeo Ramirez, also of the CIW. "Most people we have met agree that a multi-billion company can afford to pay more for tomatoes picked by workers that make less than $7,500 per year. Sooner or later, Taco Bell, like Nike, is just going to have to learn that consumers actually do care about human rights when it comes time to decide where to spend their money."

The Presbytery of Tampa Bay urged the General Assembly to endorse the boycott, which has strong support from unions and other progressive organizations. Immokalee is Florida's biggest farmworker community. For several years, tomato pickers have been fighting for better pay and working conditions. Growers wont meet with the CIW and have only marginally boosted farmworkers wages; Taco Bell also refuses to sit down with the CIW, hence the boycott.

The General Assembly vote proves that the Presbyterian Church USA has not abandoned the Social Gospel despite the rise of a noisy conservative, if not fundamentalist, minority in its pews. Indeed, the General Assembly apparently was a close encounter of the worst kind for them.

"This was an Assembly whose docket was shaped largely by the self-described Confessing Church Movement and its allies," wrote Gene TeSelle and Doug King in a special report to Witherspoon Society members. "The end result, however, was a rejection of their agenda by wide margins."

First espoused in the early 20th century, the Social Gospel was "a radical departure from the traditional view of Christianity as a ticket to heavenly bliss that would more than repay the multitudes for their misery on earth," explained historian W.A. Swanberg. Social Gospelers also "saw Christianity rather as the road to a just and equitable society on earth, here and now," Swanberg added.

Proponents of the Social Gospel didn't just preach what Jesus said about loving one another. They practiced it.

Thus, progressive Presbyterians made common cause with reformers - religious and non-religious. Together, they fought for racial justice, for women's equality and for economic democracy, including the right of working people to unionize and bargain collectively. Those, too, were goals of the old Socialist Party, which numbered many Christians and whose longtime leader was Norman Thomas, a former Presbyterian pastor.

The Taco Bell vote at the General Assembly reminded me of another time when traditional Presbyterian Social Gospelism warmed my heart. It was a 20-degree winter afternoon.

I was shivering on a picket line with union hospital workers locked out at a union-busting hospital in Paducah, Ky. A busload of Presbyterians rode three hours from Louisville to march with us. It wouldn't surprise me if some of them were at the General Assembly and voted for the Bell boycott.

The Tampa overture argued, "Scripture is replete with admonitions to seek justice and to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves." The Tampa plea concluded with a quotation from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., strongly pro-union himself: "We do not boycott to put anyone out of business. We are boycotting to put justice into business."

"Amen." Boycott the Bell.

We'd like to hear your views on the Taco Bell issue, and any information you can add to the picture.  Just send a note!!

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