An exciting update for those of you who have been following the fight (both in the news and here on our blog) between the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Burger King: Burger King has finally agreed to the 1.5 cents a pound increase on the price it will pay for tomatoes. A penny per pound of that will end up in the pockets of the workers. This small increase for Burger King will represent a leap from poverty wages to living wages for the workers.
From the NY Times this weekend:
“Lucas Benitez, of the Coalition for Immokalee Workers, said he was thankful that Burger King agreed to the wage increase, and he said his group would now set its sights on other restaurant chains and grocery retailers who continue to pay wages his group regards as substandard.
Noting that some of those companies market themselves as being socially responsible, Mr. Benitez, co-founder of the farm workers’ group, said, “It is time for those companies to live out the true meaning of their marketers’ words.”
