Monday, October 29th, 2007
Save the Date! Saturday, Dec. 1st, Chipotle campaign launch
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Save the Date! Saturday, Dec. 1st, Denver
Join us for this key action that will launch the Campaign for Fair Food in Denver targeting Chipotle Mexican Grill for its continued refusal to address farmworker exploitation and human rights abuses in its tomato supply chain.
WHAT: Rally and Demonstration for farmworker justice and launch of the Denver-area Chipotle Campaign
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 1st, 11:00am
LOCATION: To be announced. Watch for more information!
BACKGROUND: Denver-area allies of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW; www.ciw-online.org), representing a broad spectrum of Colorado residents, are announcing our intensified efforts to demand that Chipotle address the human rights crisis in the fields faced by workers who harvest tomatoes that fill its tacos and burritos. In solidarity with the CIW ” a community-led organization of mainly Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian farmworkers based in SW Florida ” we are calling on Chipotle to truly live up to its “Food With Integrity” creed. The lively rally on December 1 will launch these efforts, bringing the Campaign for Fair Food to Chipotle™s hometown and largest market.
Farmworkers who pick tomatoes in the fields of Florida are among this country™s most exploited workers: they earn sub-poverty wages, have no right to form unions or to benefits of any kind, and have not received a significant raise in nearly 30 years. At the current rate, Florida tomato pickers must harvest over TWO AND A HALF TONS of tomatoes just to earn the equivalent of minimum wage for a 10-hour workday. In the most extreme cases, workers are held in modern-day slavery and forced to work against their will.
Through hard-fought campaigns, the CIW and its allies reached groundbreaking agreements with both Yum! Brands (parent company of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and others) and McDonald™s, establishing improved wages, human rights protections and a voice for farmworkers in these companies™ tomato supply chains. These agreements created a working model that the CIW has sought to expand to the rest of the fast-food industry. Many fast-food chains, however, continue to resist the progress toward a more modern and just agricultural industry in Florida.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has refused to even discuss this issue with the CIW, stating that it™s not convinced farmworkers have it so bad. Chipotle, by continuing to leverage its bulk purchasing power and profiting from cheap tomatoes without regard for the deplorable conditions faced by the workers who pick them, is delaying the hopes of thousands of farmworkers to enjoy dignified working conditions.
Chipotle™s refusal comes in stark contrast to its marketing of itself as a leader in advancing ethical purchasing practices within the fast-food industry. As part of its “Food With Integrity” philosophy, Chipotle encourages its suppliers to pursue healthy practices and uses meat only from animals that have been raised humanely. Chipotle founder and CEO Steve Ells recently stated that “we decided long ago that we didn’t want Chipotle’s success to be tied to the exploitation of animals, farmers, or the environment.” Yet Chipotle refuses to take simple steps to eliminate the exploitation of farmworkers.
“Food With Integrity” is either a holistic vision which includes decent working conditions for the thousands of men and women who harvest the tomatoes that end up in Chipotle’s burritos, or it’s just another cynical marketing ploy designed to cash in on a fad. It can’t be both.
The CIW has stated: “We are tired, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., of ˜relying on the good will and understanding of those who profit by exploiting us.™” Join us in telling Chipotle that justice delayed is justice denied, and that “Food With Integrity” must include “Work With Dignity” and human rights for the farmworkers in its tomato supply chain.
Sponsored by: Denver Fair Food Committee, a broad coalition of Denver-area organizations working in solidarity with the CIW.
For more information: robert@sfalliance.org, 505-980-4220