Former president Carter commends CIW's "principled leadership
in this very important campaign." Rally in Louisville on
3/12 to celebrate!... After nearly four years of a national boycott,
the CIW and Taco Bell have reached a historic agreement!
Click here for details
on this precedent-setting agreement.
Click here to read
the statement by Lucas Benitez of CIW.
Click here to read
the statement from the RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights.
Commenting on this development, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former
U.S. President Jimmy Carter stated:
“I commend the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for their
principled leadership in this very important campaign. I am pleased
Taco Bell has taken a leadership role to help reform working conditions
for Florida farmworkers and has committed to use its power to
effect positive human rights change. I now call on others in the
industry to follow Taco Bell’s lead to help the tomato farmworkers.”
Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) also issued a statement:
“In accord with actions of the General Assembly, and at
the request of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), as Stated
Clerk of the General Assembly, I call upon all members of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to immediately cease boycotting Taco
Bell and to join with the CIW and Yum Brands in advancing the
gains for human rights made today throughout fast-food industry."
And Camilo Perez-Bustillo, Director of Human Migration & Mobility
/ Project Voice of the American Friends Service Committee, added:
"We salute this historic victory in the struggle for human
rights brought about by the unceasing efforts of the Coalition
of Immokalee Workers and their supporters throughout the country.
Systematic violations of the rights of farmworkers, and in particular,
of immigrant agricultural workers in Florida, have long been a
national outrage; the successful settlement of the Taco Bell boycott
is a key, long-awaited step in the right direction for Florida
and for the country as a whole, and will help set the pace elsewhere
for farmworker justice in the future."
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The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), founded in 1986, provides
a voice for grassroots groups on farm, food, trade and rural economic
issues to ensure fair prices for family farmers, safe and healthy
food, and vibrant, environmentally sound rural communities here
and around the world. NFFC represents family farm and rural groups
in 30 states whose members' face the challenge of the deepening
economic recession in rural communities caused primarily by low
farm prices and the increasing corporate control of agriculture.
For further information about the organization, call 1-800-639-3276
or visit www.nffc.net.
