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On the picket line

Farmworkers target Burger King

As part of its continuing struggle to win higher wages and better working conditions for tomato pickers in south Florida, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers led a boisterous, colorful march on Dec. 1 to the Miami headquarters of Burger King. Students from many Florida colleges, union members, clergy and community activists took part in the nine-mile march.

All the workers want is a penny more for a bushel of tomatoes. Taco Bell agreed to that in 2005, all the affiliates owned by Yum Brands (such as KFC and A&W Restaurants) signed on in 2006, and MacDonald’s got with the program earlier this year. But Burger King has been holding out.

To add insult to injury, the King’s CEO recently started a public relations campaign charging that the farm workers don’t need a raise—that there’s no such thing as farmworker poverty. The slogan “Doubt our poverty, walk in our shoes” was prominent throughout the march and at the rally at BK headquarters. There, CIW reps presented a pair of worn-out work boots to a BK representative and then lined up dozens more on the lawn across from the building.

Also on Dec. 1, students at Cornell, Notre Dame and Calvin College staged solidarity actions at local BKs. CIW’s six-year Campaign for Fair Food is supported by nearly 20 student groups, including the Student Farmworker Alliance. In London on “Thanksgiving” Day, CIW was given the 2007 Anti-Slavery Award by Anti-Slavery International, the oldest human rights organization.

AFL-CIO for moratorium on foreclosures

The AFL-CIO issued a call for an immediate moratorium on subprime mortgage foreclosures during congressional hearings on Dec. 6. It proposed that all loans with teaser rates be restructured for 30 years at the original low teaser rates. (http://blog.aflcio.org)

Noting that the mortgage market affects millions of working families, AFL-CIO attorney Damon Silvers testified: “Unless the government acts with urgency, hundreds of thousands of workers will lose their homes, millions of workers will suffer pension losses and further millions will lose their jobs.” He linked the housing crisis to “falling or stagnant real wages” and the lack of good jobs that “have left tens of millions of Americans dependent on borrowing to sustain their standard of living.” He called on Congress “to prevent millions of American families from losing their homes.”

Stagehands ratify contract

Broadway stagehands voted to ratify a contract on Dec. 9 with much better terms than they were offered before their 19-day strike. In exchange for 4 to 4.5 percent raises over the next five years, the stagehands agreed to some rule changes. For instance, the number of workers needed to load a production into a theater will be set on a day-to-day basis, as long as it does not fall below 17 for a musical or 12 for a play.

“It was an overwhelming ratification,” a union spokesperson told the New York Times. “Everyone’s very happy.” (Dec. 10) That just proves why striking is the most valuable tool in the workers’ toolbox.

Don’t use FedEx during holidays

As part of the ongoing campaign to unionize workers at FedEx Ground, supporters are asked to sign the “No Ship Pledge” at www.FedUpwithFedEx.org.