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Last week I wrote about a Senate hearing on working conditions for tomato pickers in Florida. Much of the discussion there revolved around the "penny-per-pound" deal, and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange efforts to keep corporations like Yum! Brands and McDonald's from paying it to the farmworkers.
One corporation that has refused to pay the extra penny is Burger King, despite the fact that it would cost them only $250,000 annually , its competitors have agreed to do it, and for workers it's the difference between a sub-poverty wage that hasn't been raised in twenty years and a decent one.
And it looks like Burger King's anti-labor activities run deeper than just its refusal to pay the extra cent. Amy Bennett Williams of the Fort Myers News-Press wrote a story last week that tied Burger King to "libelous" attacks via email and online posts against the Coalition of Immokalee Workers-- a respected anti-slavery group that has helped to prosecute six federal slavery cases and has been praised by the FBI, federal prosecutors, members of Congress, and civil rights organizations.
Even worse is an alleged attempt to infiltrate a key CIW ally, the Student/Farmworker Alliance, by using Diplomatic Tactical Services, "a security and investigative firm that advertises its ability to place 'operatives' in the ranks of target groups."
I contacted Burger King about all of these troubling issues. As for the penny-per-pound deal, they have a new line they are selling for anyone who wants to buy it--let's call it the BKBS. Denise Wilson, Senior Analyst of Communications at Burger King headquarters, sent this statement via email: "At Burger King, we have always been interested in finding a way to assure decent wages and modern working conditions for the tomato harvesters in Immokalee.... We urge the CIW to immediately provide us with a copy of the YUM and McDonald's agreements, repeatedly cited. Our ability to review the agreement is an important first step in bringing this issue to a resolution and garnering our full support."
"That's an argument aimed at the public, not at reaching a real solution," CIW staff member Greg Asbed said. "Our demands are listed for all the world to see on the website, as are what Yum and McDonald's agreed to. The only thing that is not posted on our website are the specific details of how the Yum and McDonald's agreements are implemented within the differing contours of their supply chains ([the chain of companies that get tomatoes from the fields to their restaurants]). It is exactly those details that will need to be worked out with Burger King, as well. So, if they're really interested in a solution, they have everything they need already."
Seems reasonable that if the specific agreements can't be provided, Burger King might be willing to use a template as a starting point for negotiations with CIW?
Burger King declined to comment on that.
What about the allegations of emails and online posts as reported by the Fort Myers News-Press? Did executives have any awareness of these--some of which were traced to Burger King Headquarters?
Again, declined to comment.
Okay, fine. Well, at the very least Burger King will clear up any allegation of infiltration, right? Can it state for the record that no executives ever hired Diplomatic Tactical Services (or any other investigative firm) to look into CIW and/or the Student/Farmworker Alliance? And that they never received any reports from Diplomatic Tactical Services or any other investigative firm regarding these groups?
You guessed it, declined to comment.
"We have given you our statement regarding our intention to work with the CIW and help the farmworkers," Wilson wrote in reply to these questions.
One wonders what Burger King knows if they can't categorically deny allegations that are clearly a PR nightmare for the corporation and shareholders such as Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs.
It's not just the hamburgers that are being grilled at Burger King these days.
Greg Kaufmann, a freelance writer residing in his disenfranchised hometown of Washington, DC, contributed to this article.
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Katrina vanden Heuvel
Thoughts on politics, current affairs, riffs and reflections on what’s in the news and what’s not--but should be.
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"One wonders what Burger King knows if they can't categorically deny allegations that are clearly a PR nightmare for the corporation and shareholders such as Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs."
Really?...it is??!?!?
Just did a little of the Google "tomato pickers Burger King".
Got some Reuters and NY Times stuff from last fall, and an NPR story and Miami Herald story couple days ago. And the rest are "activist groups" websites and such and so-forth.
Seems a "PR nightmare" would involve the "P" (i.e. the Public) KNOWING about it, atleast outside of Florida and maybe a few left-wing publications and a blurb during the NPR News at the Top of the Hour.
Now maybe if CBS, ABC, CNN or MSNBC or even the NY Times every couple days, was reporting on it...and folks starting to go to Mickey D's or Wendy's in protest, were happening....yeah.
But...I don't see that.
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 4:08pm
BK is shooting themselves in the foot on this one. the bad publicity which they are reaping is far more costly than that pittance they are denying the workers.
Posted by emile duBois at 04/23/2008 @ 4:37pm
I did a little research, and apparently Finland has no problem with the wages paid for picking tomatoes. Of course, they don't grow many tomatoes in Finland, but no matter.
Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!").
Posted by sntauri at 04/23/2008 @ 4:44pm
Posted by EMILE DUBOIS 04/23/2008 @ 4:37pm
Somebody NOT on JOHANNES DUBOIS' Ignore ask him to point to "all the bad publicity".
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 4:47pm
There was an article in Socialist Action News on December 12, 2007. This must have caused a tidal wave of bad publicity for BK. I think I'll ssop there for lunch today!
Posted by sntauri at 04/23/2008 @ 4:53pm
Will go back to read this thoroughly, but my first thought was: pay the counter help more, too.
Posted by RLawrence at 04/23/2008 @ 5:19pm
Remember, you have the option of "here or to go". For those of you with a conscience, bring your own bag and preferably, wear it!
Posted by Sorelish at 04/23/2008 @ 5:47pm
Lord god, Tauri, ease up. I'm not stopping in your port anymore if you don't.
Posted by Sorelish at 04/23/2008 @ 6:11pm
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 5:19pm
New Idea,
no more standards of weights and measure. Leave it up to each individual to work it out with his buyer/supplier.
No more regulation of financial markets.
Move all ports to Mexico.
No more food inspections, period.
No more regulation of drinking water.
No more military, hire out all that to China.
Why is it that the morons on the right want MORE domestic oil production, but less food production?
Your comments are the most asinine I have ever read from you, John. and that is saying a lot.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:17pm
Who hires the illegals?
Halliburton subcontractor hires illegal immigrants for Katrina work 21 Oct. 2005
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- As many as 100 undocumented immigrants have been hired by a Halliburton subcontractor to clean-up areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina, a United States senator revealed.
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) accused Alabama-based BE&K of illegally hiring the workers after Halliburton awarded a subcontract to the firm to repair naval bases damaged by the hurricane.
The Associated Press reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained the workers for violating immigration laws.
"It is a downright shame that any contractor would use this tragedy as an opportunity to line his pockets by breaking the law and hiring a low-skilled, low-wage and undocumented work force," Landrieu said in a statement. She urged the Department of Homeland Security to investigate what she called a "chronic" use of undocumented workers by government contractors involved in Katrina cleanup.
"The federal government must ensure that every company, no matter how big, follows the law and provides Gulf Coast residents with the jobs they deserve," Landrieu said.
This is not the first time Halliburton and its subcontractors have been criticized for the way foreign workers are treated. Halliburton was recently criticized for exploiting foreign workers in Iraq by forcing them to live in inhumane conditions and paying below minimum wage compensation.
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 07:25am | ignore this person
--------
Wal-Mart Pays for Hiring Illegal Aliens
An investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uncovered that contractors providing cleaning services to Wal-Mart hired illegal aliens for the job. The investigation ended March 18 with a landmark $11 million civil settlement. In addition, 12 corporations that provided contract janitorial services to Wal-Mart stores have agreed to forfeit an additional $4 million to the United States and have agreed to enter corporate guilty pleas to criminal immigration charges. Announced by Assistant Secretary Michael Garcia, the $11 million civil settlement and the $4 million criminal forfeiture constitute the two most significant enforcement actions in the field of immigration employment sanctions since the laws were first enacted in 1986. The $11 million civil settlement alone is approximately four times larger than any other single payment received by the government in an illegal alien employment case.
"This case breaks new ground not only because this is a record dollar amount for a civil immigration settlement, but because this settlement requires Wal-Mart to create an internal program to ensure future compliance with immigration laws by Wal-Mart contractors and by Wal-Mart itself," said Assistant Secretary Garcia. "ICE is committed to not only bringing charges against companies that violate our nation's immigration laws, but also working with them to ensure that they have programs in place to prevent future violations."
The case was a nationwide investigation into alleged employment of illegal aliens by cleaning companies that provided contract services to Wal-Mart. It was conducted by ICE, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and the Honesdale, Pa., Police Department
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 07:32am | ignore this person
-------
All Things Considered, December 14, 2006 ·
A fence-building company in Southern California agrees to pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants. Two executives from the company may also serve jail time. The Golden State Fence Company's work includes some of the border fence between San Diego and Mexico.
After an immigration check in 1999 found undocumented workers on its payroll, Golden State promised to clean house. But when followup checks were made in 2004 and 2005, some of those same illegal workers were still on the job. In fact, U-S Attorney Carol Lam says as many as a third of the company's 750 workers may have been in the country illegally.
Golden State Fence built millions of dollars' worth of fencing around homes, offices, and military bases. Its president and one of its Southern California managers will pay fines totaling $300,000. The government is also recommending jail time for Melvin Kay and Michael McLaughlin, probably about six months.
It is exceptionally rare for those who employ illegal immigrants to face any kind of criminal prosecution, let alone jail time. Earlier this week, for example, immigration raids on six meat-packing plants netted almost 1,300 suspected illegal workers. But no charges were leveled against the company that runs the plants: Swift.
Golden State Fence's attorney, Richard Hirsch, admits his client broke the law. But he says the case proves that construction companies need a guest-worker program
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 07:35am | ignore this person
------- December 04, 2007 Read More: Romney
Romney's lawn care company hires illegal immigrants...AGAIN!
After finding out the hard way -- via a splashy Boston Globe expose -- that the lawn care company tending to this Belmont, Mass, home was using illegal immigrants, Mitt Romney told them to only use documented workers.
But almost one year to the day after the story broke comes word from Romney's campaign that the company, Chelsea, Mass.-based Community Lawn Service. has again hired illegal immigrants.
How do we know?
Because in an obvious preemptive move, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden issued a statement tonight that the former governor today" took immediate action to terminate the lawn service company in question for failing to comply with the law."
Apparently, the Globe found out that Community Lawn Service is still employing illegals and will publish a story to that end.
Romney said in a statement issued by his campaign that he "gave the company a second chance with very specific conditions."
"They were instructed to make sure people worknig for the company were of legal status," Romney said, addding that he met with the company owner and extracted a promise tha tthey would follow the law.
But apparently they didn't and now, a week after Rudy Giuliani accused him of having a "sanctuary mansion" and less than a month before the caucuses take place in immigration-obsessed Iowa, Romney has a deeply embarrasing story on his hands that will catch fire on the web, in the tabloids and on cable news.
Oh, and the Univision debate is this weekend in Miami.
UPDATE: The Globe has now posted their story. Not only was the company still employing illegal immigrants, but Romney himself still had them tending to his lawn.
The morning after last week's debate "immigrants from Central America who say they are here illegally were in plain view on the lawn in front of Romney's salmon-colored mansion in Belmont. Chatting in Spanish, they hustled to rake massive clumps of leaves, dump them in barrels, and clear debris from his tennis court.
Their boss, Ricardo Saenz of Chelsea, was the same man who for a decade brought illegal immigrants and others to work for Romney, whom he had met through their shared Mormon faith. A year ago, the Globe broke the news that illegal immigrants landscaped Romney's 2.5-acre property.
In the past two months, the Globe observed Saenz and his crew at Romney's estate once a week, except during the week of Thanksgiving. The lawn work at Romney's usually took place around noon, then the crew drove a few houses down the street to the home owned by Taggart Romney, one of Mitt Romney's sons, where they worked for about an hour. The work was sandwiched in between other jobs elsewhere, on workdays that sometimes lasted 10 to 12 hours.
Last Thursday, the Globe interviewed two of the three workers who were at Romney's house. Both said they were illegal immigrants from Guatemala; one of the immigrants said the third worker was also here illegally. After the first snow, one of the workers said he went on to another job for another employer after Saenz said they would not return to Romney's house until next spring.
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 07:44am | ignore this person
Ok OK OK
Maybe I have this wrong, but it looks to me like capitalists are to blame for our illegal immigrants.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:19pm
), so we here do not have to pay $ 6.00 a tomatoe to make KVH and other socialists happy.
Show me this "$6 tomato". Is that anything like your imaginary $900 ladder, or $200 shirt?
We are talking 1 penny a pound, and you idiots don't want BK to spend 250,000/yr to help people. That is what one mid level functionary at BK makes in a year.
And you people call yourselves Christian!!!
Sick!!
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:23pm
More good news!!!
Last week LUVVY wrote about the "fantasy" the we lefties have about Bush officials being marched off in chains...
Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008
|
WASHINGTON -- A former senior Justice Department official is expected to appear in court Tuesday to face charges that he helped and accepted gifts from a key associate of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Prosecutors filed court papers Monday against Robert E. Coughlin II, the former deputy chief of staff of the department's criminal division, signaling that Coughlin has agreed to plead guilty. (That's GUILTY!!, like Savafian, Libby etc)
In the court papers, Coughlin is accused of accepting gifts from an unnamed lobbyist between March 2001 and October 2003 while providing assistance to the lobbyist's firm and negotiating prospective employment with the firm.
Defense....
Laws are for little people, a good days pay for a good days work is socialist claptrap, graft is the way to Go!
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:26pm
And, no more US citizens will be allowed to import goods into America, they charge too much.
All imports will now have to be expedited by Venezuelan citizens or firms.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:37pm
But, China will still be allowed to ship weapons to Zimbabwe and Sudan.
gotta keep dem markets open!
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:52pm
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 7:50pm
but what about the poor, poor agribusiness in Florida?
If they have to pass on a penny a pound, they will go under!!! But, if the production is moved to Mexico, a nice corruption free place, they will prosper?
Plus, "free trade " agreements should take care of your concerns, as NAFTA has proven effective at curtailing illegal immigrants movements into the US.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:54pm
Maybe I have this wrong, but it looks to me like capitalists are to blame for our illegal immigrants.
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 7:19pm | ignore this person
who else? the illegal workers work for the bosses. and the bosses are illegally hiring them. so they're both ILLEGALS.
Posted by emile duBois at 04/23/2008 @ 7:56pm
But the point remains, you do not have to eliminate any of those concerns you posted if you moved many of the food production companies to Mexico....none....and your workers would be fine, nice and safe at home....theirs.
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 7:50pm
not "if we move", but totally!
why do we need guvt interference in what is a gallon or what isn't? Why should my tax dollar go to assure you that you get the correct carat jewelry?
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:57pm
Think of all the future Dems you would have if they were legal..we could become totaly socialist, run the capitalists and the growth factor out of the US once and for all..and become...Mexico!!!
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 7:55pm
theory vs reality.
Most Mexican immigrants tend conservative, Family Values and what not. They alos tend to be MORe religious than the average American.
"Make them legal"---so, once again it is the paperwork you are concerned about? Shouldn't "Free Trade" include people, as well as goods and capital?
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 7:59pm
as far as China and their relations with Zimbab..who cares..
can't you feel the Christian love?
Who cares? the residents of Zimbabwe that want to be free from a dictator.
Or have you lost your zeal to replace dictators with liberal democracies?
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:01pm
Burger King CEO George Brenneman abruptly announced his resignation recently, right after the company posted a net loss for its fiscal third quarter. Lucky for him, he signed an agreement with Burger King to ensure that he receives his base salary of $1.03 million for three years, and his annual bonus of $2.06 million for fiscal 2006.
so, if the pickers walk off the job, do they still get paid?
John W. Chidsey Chief Executive Officer Burger King Holdings Inc.
The proxy statement for Burger King Holdings Inc. uses the new SEC executive compensation rules.
In 2007, John W. Chidsey raked in $4,147,081 in total compensation according to the SEC.
Yea, poor poor BK!!
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:09pm
I have no idea where you are drifting with this...I do not give a shit about Zimb..they ruined their country long ago.
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 8:05pm |
oooohhh, the love, the love, it washes all over me...
By "they", I assume you mean the dictator Mugabe'?
but hey! If your socialist, totalitarian customers want to sell weapons to be used on voters that don't vote correctly, why should you give a rats ass, right? Those damn lazy Zimbabweans can move!! To Mexico, where they will be free from corruption.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:13pm
and I promise you..if you short karat a customer ...you will be dealth with..and it won't be some govt hack with a Grand Marquis and a badge..Guido will solve it cheaper and faster...and your customers will dry up...fast..the market ostricises(SP) you, it has happened to a few big boys 10 years ago, and they are gone from the industry..
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 8:04pm
Is that because there is an agreed upon, official definition of what a karat is? We don't need that, it is guvt interference.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:16pm
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 7:52pm
Just curious...how do we STOP China from dealing arms or anything else with Zimbabwe or Sudan....exactly?
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 8:20pm
we all hire them...but not all of us want to give them the all entitlements and rights we give citizens...
there it is in a nutshell, we just want cheap labor, not healthy workers, not strong families, not a strong middle class.
And no John, "we" don't all hire them. I don't, my employer doesn't, my wife's employer (a landscaping firm) does not. Only people and companies with no concern for laws and welfare of people hire them.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:23pm
Just curious...how do we STOP China from dealing arms or anything else with Zimbabwe or Sudan....exactly?
Posted by MASK 04/23/2008 @ 8:20pm |
trade agreements? Or the removal of them.
Or, we could stand aside and watch the genocide, like we are doing now.
I'm HAPPY with that, you?
who gives a rats ass? except for the poor Iraqis, they deserve freedom, cuz they have our oil. In that case we should go to war. But, renegotiating trade with the largest totalitarian country in the world would be way to much to ask.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:27pm
Applying pressure to countries with ports seems to be working. If the arms cannot land, they cannot reach Mugabe'. Victor Bout is out of bidness, maybe Maasch will replace him. Lots of money to be made there.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 8:31pm
I'm so goddamn sick of hearing THEY WILL JUST PASS THE COST ALONG TO THE CONSUMER. Americans after this next election will pass something along alright & it'll be a shitload of regulation & control on the corporate thieves who've made a mockery of this nation.
Posted by Sorelish at 04/23/2008 @ 9:30pm
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 8:27pm
No, no....I meant REALISTICALLY how do we do that?
You really think even Obama is going to threaten to cut-off trade to China to stop them from selling AK-47s to Sudan?
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 9:43pm
after this next election will pass something along alright & it'll be a shitload of regulation & control on the corporate thieves who've made a mockery of this nation.----Posted by SORELISH 04/23/2008 @ 9:30pm
And speaking of un-realistic expectations....what makes you think even Obama and a pretty strong Dem Congress will do that?
By which, I mean, any HISTORIC examples in the last 2 years?
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 9:45pm
I did a little research, and apparently Finland has no problem with the wages paid for picking tomatoes. Of course, they don't grow many tomatoes in Finland, but no matter.
Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!").
Posted by SNTAURI 04/23/2008 @ 4:44pm
well, they grow LOTS in canada. picked by mexican hands.
mexican hands making decent wages under safe(ish) conditions.
Under the SAW program, Canadian farm employers paid for the airline tickets of 12,000 Mexican workers in 2002 (workers repay half the cost via deductions), provided seasonal housing for them and agreed to a wage rate negotiated between the Mexican government and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC); Mexican consular officials have the right to inspect worker housing. Under a special agreement between Canada and Mexico, the seasonal workers are covered by Canadian Medicare. About 75 percent of the Mexican migrants return to Canada in subsequent years for contracts lasting three to eight months.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 9:57pm
BK. I think I'll ssop there for lunch today!
Posted by SNTAURI 04/23/2008 @ 4:53pm
your karma shall damn your arteries......
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 9:58pm
CNN 'Morning' Team Throws Tomatoes at Burger King
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 9:59pm
Tomato pickers protest at Burger King Miami HQ Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:05pm EST Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page By Jim Loney
MIAMI (Reuters) - Hundreds of demonstrators, many wearing T-shirts reading "Burger King exploits farmworkers," staged a noisy protest at the fast-food giant's Miami headquarters on Friday to press demands for a penny-a-pound pay increase for tomato pickers.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:00pm
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Penny Foolish COMMENTS SIGN IN TO E-MAIL OR SAVE THIS PRINT
By ERIC SCHLOSSER Published: November 29, 2007 THE migrant farm workers who harvest tomatoes in South Florida
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:00pm
Who said anything about expectation, Mask? Aren't we here to express our wishes to our elected officials? To the candidates? To send a message? Are you going to sit this one out? Who are you writing in for president,the Green Hornet? If no one of any consequence reads this stuff, what's the point?
Posted by Sorelish at 04/23/2008 @ 10:01pm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/opinion/29schlosser.html
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:01pm
FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S. FLORIDA FARMWORKERS PROTEST BURGER KING OVER LOW WAGES, EXPLOITATION Friday, November 30, 2007
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:02pm
Burger King may end Fla. tomato purchase January 15, 2008 1:11 PM ET advertisement Article tools E-mail this article Print-friendly version Discuss this article Stocks mentioned in this article Burger King Holdings Ord Shs (BKC) Stock Quote, Chart, News, Add to Watchlist MCDONALDS -CORP (MCD) Stock Quote, Chart, News, Add to Watchlist YUM! BRANDS INC (YUM) Stock Quote, Chart, News, Add to Watchlist
All Associated Press news MIAMI (AP) - Burger King is telling suppliers it may stop buying tomatoes from southwestern Florida, where farmworkers have fought to get the second-largest hamburger chain to pay more for its produce and help boost field-worker wages, according to a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:03pm
Burger King rejects tomato price hike, but offers job help
By ASSOCIATED PRESS Published February 7, 2007
ADVERTISEMENT MIAMI - Burger King said it won't help boost wages for Florida farmworkers by paying more for the tomatoes on its Whopper, but it will send recruiters to help the workers find jobs at its restaurants.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:03pm
HomeBusiness NewsMarketsPersonal FinanceReal EstateTechnologySmall BusinessLuxuryFortuneMy PortfolioCNN.com TRADING CENTER Senators look into treatment, wages of Fla. tomato pickers US senators hold hearing on Fla. tomato growers' opposition to plan to boost worker wages April 15, 2008: 03:58 PM EST
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - U.S. lawmakers called for a federal review of Florida tomato picker wages and greater oversight of worker conditions during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, questioning claims by an industry group that the workers earn an average of $12.50 an hour.
Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.; and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., expressed concern about the treatment of the Florida workers after the collapse of a plan to get fast-food industry leaders to help boost their wages.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:05pm
Posted by JOMAMMA 04/23/2008 @ 5:19pm
you're mean.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:08pm
Just curious...how do we STOP China from dealing arms or anything else with Zimbabwe or Sudan....exactly?
Posted by MASK 04/23/2008 @ 8:20pm
why, sell them cheaper.......
or can't america compete, huh?
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/23/2008 @ 10:11pm
Posted by SORELISH 04/23/2008 @ 10:01pm |
Didn't know it was a "wish"...sounded like a "prediction".
Wishes I got no problem with.
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 10:39pm
Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 04/23/2008 @ 10:11pm
Seriously, FZ...how DO we stop China? "Cut back" on our "cheap Chinese junk"?...okay, figure out how to make THAT happen (as we've discussed numerous times) and then we'll talk.
We couldn't even get the U.N. to get peacekeepers in Darfur because China and Omar al-Bashir are buddies....how do we stop them from slipping some mortar rounds and Uzi knock-offs into Khartoum?
Posted by Mask at 04/23/2008 @ 10:41pm
Posted by MASK 04/23/2008 @ 9:43pm
Yep, nothing can be done, lets all go back to sleep.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 10:47pm
The Great Ann Coulter
Posted by LIBZSUCK 04/23/2008 @ 9:05pm
2 morons masturbating each other.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 10:49pm
how do we stop them from slipping some mortar rounds and Uzi knock-offs into Khartoum?
Posted by MASK 04/23/2008 @ 10:41pm
by saying "what can we do" and doing nothing. That always works best.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 10:51pm
By Leonard Doyle in Immokalee, Floride Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Three Florida fruit-pickers, held captive and brutalised by their employer for more than a year, finally broke free of their bonds by punching their way through the ventilator hatch of the van in which they were imprisoned. Once outside, they dashed for freedom.
When they found sanctuary one recent Sunday morning, all bore the marks of heavy beatings to the head and body. One of the pickers had a nasty, untreated knife wound on his arm. Police would learn later that another man had his hands chained behind his back every night to prevent him escaping, leaving his wrists swollen.
The migrants were not only forced to work in sub-human conditions but mistreated and forced into debt. They were locked up at night and had to pay for sub-standard food. If they took a shower with a garden hose or bucket, it cost them $5.
Their story of slavery and abuse in the fruit fields of sub-tropical Florida threatens to lift the lid on some appalling human rights abuses in America today.
but, not if the neo-cons can remain willfully blind and continue to blame the victims.
It looks like Whole Foods took Happys advice...
Burger King is not the only buyer digging in its heels. Whole Foods Market, which recently expanded into Britain with a store in London's upmarket suburb of Kensington, has been discovered stocking tomatoes from one of the most notorious Florida sweatshop producers. Whole Foods ignored an appeal by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay an extra penny a pound for its tomatoes.
In a statement Whole Foods said it was "committed to supporting and promoting economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable agriculture" and supports "the right of all workers to be treated fairly and humanely."
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 11:00pm
You're all right, Mask. Remember, we're all in this together!
Posted by Sorelish at 04/23/2008 @ 11:03pm
You're all right, Mask. Remember, we're all in this together!
Posted by SORELISH 04/23/2008 @ 11:03pm
Yes, I can feel it in your concern for others.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/23/2008 @ 11:26pm
Seriously, FZ...how DO we stop China? "Cut back" on our "cheap Chinese junk"?...okay, figure out how to make THAT happen (as we've discussed numerous times) and then we'll talk.
Posted by MASK 04/23/2008 @ 10:41pm
ah, what a tangled pit we dig,
when we set out to hide inflation......
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 12:47am
hahaha...
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 12:49am
Like WalMart, Burger King is willing to spend as much or more on efforts to avoid paying the extra penny as they would if they just paid the fucking penny.
Whatever...
I think the real crime is in wasting perfectly good produce on a piece of shit Whopper anyway.
Posted by drhammer at 04/24/2008 @ 07:57am
Posted by CRABWALK 04/23/2008 @ 10:51pm
Or we can try to make ourselves FEEL better by saying "we can do something"...but when pressed, come up with NO realistic solutions.
a la CRABBY
Posted by Mask at 04/24/2008 @ 08:59am
BTW, is there ANYBODY here who's willing to bet cash money (more than a Whopper meal would cost)...
that when BK posts their fiscal year's earnings, there is ANY impact from "all the bad PR" over the tomato pickers?
Posted by Mask at 04/24/2008 @ 09:01am
Answer Mask question...what would you do to change the situation? You answer by saying we are doing nothing...
but never answer with a real possibility solution or even suggestion of what you think might work that could IN REALITY work or have an effect.
well, if you cannot read, then I cannot offer solutions...
Like I have written a dozen times, apply pressure through our trade agreements.
End slavery in America by paying a decent wage to those that make our food, rather than send the work to another country, talk about being a whiner!!
Stop doing business with dictators, rather than coddling them because there is a buck to be made.
Don't put beliefs in my mouth, read what I write.
Tell me MASK, what are your solutions? You NEVER offer ANYTHINg other than "that won't work because...". Would it effect BK's earnings to pay out a Whopping 250K so that a picker can make a little extra money?
Posted by crabwalk at 04/24/2008 @ 09:22am
And john you have NEVER answered a simple question:
Why should those that hold 85% of the wealth not pay 85% of the taxes?
Posted by crabwalk at 04/24/2008 @ 09:24am
I guess, unlike John Maasch, I actually care that money is going missing in Iraq, that terrorism has increased, that people are being held as slaves all across America so that food can be cheaper than topsoil, that our WH is full of criminals, that we got into a quagmire on lies and fear.
But, that makes me a whiner, better than a willfully blind arrogant asshole that wraps himself in flag and Bible and calls everything perfect, except for some of the best arts of our society like a free education.
I hold up a mirror to you MAASCH, and you don't like what you see, so you blame me. Tough shit.
Posted by crabwalk at 04/24/2008 @ 09:30am
hat when BK posts their fiscal year's earnings, there is ANY impact from "all the bad PR" over the tomato pickers?
Posted by MASK 04/24/2008 @ 09:01am
Gee, could that be in part because so many think like you and the neo-cons. They willfully ignore a problem, and their only solution to all things is outsourcing and tax cuts for the uber-wealthy? Then, thay march into BK and say "fill me up with crap, I want to be a fat piggy, screw you if you want to earn a living working for me".
Posted by crabwalk at 04/24/2008 @ 09:41am
Yep, no "realistic" solutions
Published: April 25, 2008 JOHANNESBURG -- A Chinese ship carrying armaments made by a Chinese state-owned company and bound for Zimbabwe has headed back to China without unloading its cargo of bullets and mortar bombs, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry confirmed at a briefing Thursday.
"The Chinese company has already decided to send the military goods back to China in the same vessel, the An Yue Jiang," said the spokeswoman, Jiang Yu.
China's decision was welcomed by the dock workers, trade unionists, religious leaders, western diplomats and human rights workers who have been campaigning since last week to block delivery of the weaponry to Zimbabwe.
fucking trade unionists! Commies all! Keeping a good man like Mugabe' from holding power, how dare they!
Posted by crabwalk at 04/24/2008 @ 09:44am
we are often told that if we pay workers a half way decent salary, food prices will go though the roof. well they've gone through the roof, and guess what, we still are not paying a decent wage. how come?
Posted by emile duBois at 04/24/2008 @ 10:21am
Like I have written a dozen times, apply pressure through our trade agreements.---Posted by CRABWALK 04/24/2008 @ 09:22am
Okay....HOW? What do we threaten the Chinese with? Tariffs?
Okay, now, when you go back to your district (if a Rep) or state (if a Senator) or the country (if President seeking re-election)...and tell them that they're paying more for their kids' shoes at Wal-mart because "We wanted to send a message to China NOT to sell guns to some country you've never heard of"...
How bad do you figure you'll lose to the Republican that fall?
Posted by Mask at 04/24/2008 @ 10:48am
Posted by CRABWALK 04/24/2008 @ 09:44am
Great.....THEY handled it....not us.
Posted by Mask at 04/24/2008 @ 10:49am
The link to that private security firm doesn't work.
Posted by lividsnails at 04/24/2008 @ 12:50pm
Right wing bootlickers unite. You have nothing to lose other than what's left of your minds.
Posted by Sorelish at 04/24/2008 @ 12:52pm
well they've gone through the roof, and guess what, we still are not paying a decent wage. how come?
Posted by EMILE DUBOIS 04/24/2008 @ 10:21am
we need ethanol to power the tractors to produce the ethanol to power the tractors to produce the ethanol.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 1:11pm
Posted by MASK 04/24/2008 @ 10:48am
the first place to start is at home.
you know, america #1 stuff........
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 1:12pm
yep, SOMEBODY'S got balls:
China recalls arms ship bound for Zimbabwe
A Chinese ship carrying weapons to Zimbabwe is to be recalled after ports in neighbouring countries refused to unload the cargo amid fears it was planned for use against political opponents of President Robert Mugabe.
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 1:43pm
Progressives! Leave us not descend into the dreaded Grand Inquisitorial Syndrome.
Posted by Sorelish at 04/24/2008 @ 1:47pm
Grilling Burger King
posted by JOAN on 04/23/2008 @ 3:47pm
¿joan?
Thursday, April 24, 2008 11:24:55 PM
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 11:21pm
horrible make over of the blogs. da worst.
Posted by emile duBois at 04/24/2008 @ 11:34pm
Posted by emile duBois at 04/24/2008
wacky.........
Thursday, April 24, 2008 11:45:27 PM
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/24/2008 @ 11:41pm
These things convince me that illegal immigration will stay forever cause that is the way companies want it to be. And companies rule Bushies...and many Dems are employed by them. Is there openings for supervisors of tomatoes workers??
Posted by Frank42 at 04/25/2008 @ 02:58am
who's joan?
Posted by frosty zoom at 04/25/2008 @ 10:35am
Putting this on the "Editor's Cut" since the on-line "contact tech support" no longer works (ironic, huh?)
The new format of the on-line Nation is nice, except for a) text size (I can barely see the text I am typing into this teeny-tiny box) and b) similar issues on the Blogs. I would have hoped an upgrade would include a more robust blogging system, and instead it has gotten even worse.
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/25/2008 @ 1:30pm
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/25/2008
I've come up with multiple bugs-
1. Log in. Have to do it twice and after the 2nd, when you click "Go back to the page you were reading"...goes to the Subscribe to the mag page...and won't let you out!
2. Snap back to ALL the blog posts after a post to an individual one. (This may be some "Fix" to keep spamming down, but not really worth it.
3. (as you noted) The Text Box is MICROSCOPIC. Type 2 sentences and the 3rd is gone...and these scroll keys are MAYBE a couple of microns from each other.
4. Disappearance of the "Campaign '08" posts, like "10 Delegates" et al.
Again, put some of it down to bugs...but ATLEAST fix this text box, Ms Connell!
Posted by Mask at 04/25/2008 @ 2:35pm
<b>NATION STAFF ... PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MESS. THE BLOG ENGINE HAS GONE FROM "BLAH YET FUNCTIONAL" TO PREDOMINANTLY USEFUL. </B>
Oh yeah - preview doesn't actually DO anything anymore but take you to a lone little text input box
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/25/2008 @ 4:42pm
I see it accepts no HTML input anymore as well .. this SUCKS Nation! Are you guys listening?
Preview also kicks you back to the Homepage after submission
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/25/2008 @ 4:44pm
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/25/2008 OOOPS - should say "PREDOMINANTLY USELESS"
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/25/2008 @ 7:43pm
hey Katrina, have you LOOKED at this site? have you tried blogging on it? the worst re-design since, yes, the NEW Coke. thanks a heap.
Posted by emile duBois at 04/26/2008 @ 10:02am
..and even better, the "Contact Technical support" doesn't function. Classic
Posted by leftofcenter at 04/26/2008 @ 7:07pm
Keep giving the right-wingers and the cynical snipers hell, Crabwalk!
Posted by cka2nd at 04/29/2008 @ 5:08pm