Farm Laborers Win Fairer Wages, Protections from Fast Food Company
Even though this story is nearly eight months old, it is a tale worth retelling. The little guy, a small coalition of migrant farm workers, persisted, pressuring for two years until finally persuasion wins over Goliath. When any group takes a stand with integrity, it is an inspiring story. NPR’s All Things Considered reports on a small farm laborers’ group, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who won a surprising victory against the world’s second-largest fast-food company.
After a four-year boycott by tomato pickers in Florida, Taco Bell has agreed to buy the fruit only from Immokalee-area growers who pay farm workers almost double their previous wages. Taco Bell will pay growers more to cover the difference, without raising prices at its restaurants. Additionally, if farm workers charge that growers are mistreating them, the company and farm workers’ representatives will investigate.