UCC Justice & Peace Action Network Weekly Message #3:
TACO BELL FAST FOR JUSTICE
"I'd rather go hungry than eat sweatshop tacos."
It's a jarring offense to our sense of fair play that, most
often, those who work to put food on our tables are among
the least able to enjoy it. Unquestionably, farm workers
and those who work in animal farms and food processing
plants are among the least protected and worst paid
laborers in our country. This is certainly true in
Immokalee, FL, where tomato pickers are paid just
one-third of what they received 30 years ago and face
harsh conditions and indignities in the fields.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has called a national
boycott of Taco Bell, the company that buys the tomatoes
the farmworkers pick. In 2001, the General Synod of the
UCC endorsed this boycott and called on the churches to
help bring justice to the Florida fields. If Taco Bell
would voluntarily pay one cent a pound more for the
tomatoes it buys from the grower, Six-L, and the grower
in turn would pass the increase to the pickers, it would
nearly double the workers' wages. Prices to consumers
would rise by less than a penny. Neither Taco Bell, nor
Six-L, have been willing to take action to bring about an
end to their "sweatshops in the fields."
Now, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is taking
the boycott one step further, calling for a "Hunger Strike"
or "Fast for Farm Worker Justice." Workers and their
allies and supporters will gather in Irvine, CA, site of
Taco Bell headquarters, starting on Monday, February 24,
to call attention to the injustices in the Florida tomato
fields. They call on all people who care about justice
to support this effort.
--Come to the Rally on Friday, February 28, 11 a.m. to
3 p.m. at Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, CA
--Fast for one meal or for a day and send the savings
to the CIW to replace workers' lost wages
(http://www.ciw-online.org)
--Organize a rally and leaflet outside your local
Taco Bell
--Send an instant fax to the Chairman of Taco Bell
by visiting
http://www.ucctakeaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1379
We ask those who wish to participate in the Fast for
Farmworker Justice to complete the pledge card below
and return it to UCC Justice and Peace Action Network.
My Pledge to Support Farm Worker Justice
______ Go to Irvine, CA, (or help send a member of my family,
church group, school, etc.) to be in solidarity with
the fasting farm workers.
______ Join the farm workers in fasting for one meal.
______ Send a contribution to the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers to replace workers' lost wages
(see http://www.ciw-online.org).
______ Organize a rally and leaflet outside a local Taco Bell
during the week of February 24-28.
______ Pray for the fasting farm workers.
______ Hold a prayer vigil in support of the fasting workers
either in addition to or during the Sunday service.
Please return to Justice and Peace Action Network, 110 Maryland
Ave., NE, Suite 207, Washington, DC 20002; fax: 202-543-5994; or
by e-mail at jpanet at ucc.org.
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