For Immediate Release: November 30th, 2007
Contact: Jeffrey Buchanan 202-463-7575 ext 241, buchanan@rfkmemorial.org

RFK Center Joins Immokalee Workers for Miami Burger King Rally
Supports Farmworkers’ Demand for an Agreement Grounded Human Rights

Miami, FL—The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, including Kerry Kennedy, will join fellow members of the Alliance for Fair Food in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for their rally at Burger King headquarters in Miami November 30th.

“Now is the time for Burger King to follow McDonald’s and YUM! Foods stated commitment to the human rights of farmworkers, and partner with them to protect against abuses within their operations and supply chain,” said Monika Kalra Varma, Director of RFK Center

RFK Center joins the CIW in urging Burger King follow industry leaders McDonald’s and Yum! Foods by signing an agreement grounded in internationally recognized human rights laws and principles.

- A pay raise of a penny per pound of tomatoes picked, nearly doubling the going piece rate when workers pick tomatoes;
- Supply chain transparency and a verifiable zero tolerance policy for modern-day slavery;
- The right for farmworkers to participate, through the CIW, in the development and implementation of enforceable supplier codes of conduct.

“Everyone has a right to just working conditions, including fair wages, freedom from forced labor, and a right to participate in efforts to protect against future abuses at work,” said Kerry Kennedy, acclaimed human rights advocate, author, and daughter of Robert F. Kennedy. “Without these rights slavery, poverty and abuse will continue in America’s retail food industry, tainting the salads and sandwiches of Burger King and those who do not stand up for human dignity. .”

RFK Center has worked with the CIW since three of the group’s leaders won the organization’s Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2003. Since then RFK Center joined other allies of the CIW to found the Alliance for Fair Food to promote principles and practices of socially responsible purchasing in the corporate food industry.

Source: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights (www.rfkmemorial.org)

Remarks (as prepared for delivery:

Kerry Kennedy
Coalition of Immokalee Workers Rally
Burger King Headquarters
November 30th, 2007 Miami, Florida

On behalf of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, a founding member of the Alliance for Fair Food, I stand here committed to the work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. I want to thank Arlene Holt Baker and Stuart Acuff of the AFL-CIO, Eliseo Medina of the SEIU, Bishop Estevez of the Archdiocese of Miami, and Rev. Ken Siladi of the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ, fellow members of the Alliance for Fair Food, for joining us today. And I want to introduce my daughter Michaela Kennedy Cuomo.

This morning, before Michaela and I ate breakfast, we said our usual prayer. Thank you, God, for this good food. And thank you for the hands that made it.

The Immokalee farm workers are the hands that made it. Thank you God, for the hands who are held in slavery, still they pick our food. Thank you God, for hands who show up for work at 4am but can’t actually begin being paid for work until the dew has dried around 10am, still they picked our food. Thank you God for those whose leaders the local police jailed on trumped up charges, still they picked our food.

For those whose lives were threatened by growers, still they picked our food. For parents whose children were turned away from school, still they picked our food. For those who grew sick from pesticides, still they picked our food. For those who had no protection from labor laws, still they picked our food.

The great humanitarian, Margaret Mead, said, “Don’t ever doubt that a small group of determined people can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that has.”

In 1787 in London, a small group of determined students, clergy, farm workers and former slaves came together, united by a radical idea, that we all share a human right to freedom from slavery. Together they brought down King Cotton.

In 2007, in Miami, a small group of determined students, clergy, former slaves, farm workers and union organizers have come together united by the radical idea that we all share the human right to a decent wage and humane working conditions. And we will bring down Burger King.

Last week, Anti- Slavery International awarded their prestigious Freedom Prize to the Coalition of Immokolee workers. The Coalition of Immokalee Farm workers said we can do better in America, and they did. The CIW said we can get the first wage increase since 1978, and they did. The CIW said we can get students on campuses across America to demand to demand one cent more for the pickers, and they did. The CIW said we can get the American people to join a boycott of fast food restaurants until our rights recognized, and they did.

The CIW said we get companies to take action against slavery in their supply chain, and they did. The CIW said we can work with giant corporations, so that they take responsibility for the human rights of agriculture workers in their supply chain.

YUM! Brands increased wages a penny a pound. McDonald’s increased wages, a penny a pound. Now its Burger King’s turn.

We all share the right to freedom from slavery and forced labor. The CIW has demanded a verifiable zero tolerance policy for slavery in Burger King’s supply chain. Since violations of economic and social rights often lay the foundation for forced labor, companies like Burger King must acknowledge the rights of workers in their supply chain to economic security and the right to participate in assuring anti-slavery code compliance to assure workers’ freedom.

Everyone has a human right to just working conditions, including fair wages and a decent living for workers and their families. Today the average farmworker in Immokalee earns sub-poverty wages, a yearly income of less than $7,500.

Employees and their representatives have a right to participate in determining and implementing how corporations fulfill their human rights responsibilities. Human rights laws require companies to work with groups like the CIW to guarantee capable, independent and transparent code of conduct monitoring in the corporate supply chain that allows workers and the victims of abuse to have a voice.

Human rights are held by all persons equally, universally, and forever. Corporations must realize these rights are indivisible and interdependent. Without these rights slavery, poverty and abuse will continue in America’s retail food industry, tainting the salads and sandwiches of Burger King and others who do not stand up for human dignity.

Together we can compel Burger King to partner with the CIW to sign an agreement protecting farm workers’ human rights. Today the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, which represents 90 per cent of the state’s growers, are fighting against even One cent more, and threatening fines of up to $100,000 to any members who increase farm workers earnings. Burger King is lamely claiming it has no control over the actions of its growers. But Burger King managed to reign in growers who were accused of cruelty to animals. Surely Burger King can rein in growers who fail to pay un centano mas. In fact, the entire wage increase would cost Burger King only $250,000 a year.

The growers call a wage increase un- American. That’s not the America I grew up in. Surely, we, in the richest and most powerful country on earth, can do better. Surely in addition to prayers, and a penny a pound, we could provide protection of labor laws, the ability to form unions, the protection by, rather than threat of deportation, from the INS. Surely their housing should be decent and their wages should be living. And their kids ought to be able to go to school.

When Robert Kennedy broke bread with Cesar Chavez after his great fast on March 10, 1968, he addressed a crowd of 6000 farm workers in Delano California. He said “When your children and grandchildren take their place in America, --going to high school, and taking good jobs at good pay, when you look at them, you will say, ‘I did this. I was there at the point of difficulty and danger.’ And though you may be old and bent from many years of labor, no one will stand taller than you when you say ‘I marched with Cesar.’”

Lucas, today all of us have the opportunity to join your struggle. And when we are old and bent we will turn to our children and grand children and say “I was there at the point of difficulty and danger. I marched with the CIW.” And for that, we thank you. Si se puede.