Wendy’s Boycott in support of farm workers

Via the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – a worker-based human rights organization internationally recognized for its achievements in the fields of social responsibility, human trafficking, and gender-based violence at work:

There’s a Nationwide Boycott of Wendy’s Underway:

Momentum in the Wendy’s Boycott has not only animated consumers in congregations and classrooms, but also caught the attention of national media.  Last Monday, The Nation’s Michelle Chen penned an excellent profile of the growing movement, titled “There’s a Nationwide Boycott of Wendy’s Underway,” providing an exciting snapshot of the fast-growing campaign against Wendy’s.

Here’s a bit from the Nation article – read more at the link above:

Organizers want the fast-food giant to agree to worker-friendly supply-chain practices.

wendys_protest_ap_imgAlthough other brands like Whole Foods and Subway have been pressured to sign on to CIW’s Fair Food program, Wendy’s has issued its own corporate social-responsibility code, presented in a glossy 20-page booklet that workers say is full of empty promises.

Wendy’s states that “Suppliers are expected to fairly compensate and provide wages, benefits and overtime premiums to their employees that comply with applicable laws and regulations.” Notably, the plan does not layout general rules for fair labor conditions beyond the legal minimum, without mandating direct sanctions for suppliers who fail to meet the company’s “expectations.” CIW rejects the softer language, insisting on its own system of regular auditing under a worker-led monitoring program, which ties corporate membership in the program to a system of sanctions for violations.

“What they’ve done instead is create a code of conduct behind which they can stand, that doesn’t really support the human rights of farmworkers,” de la Cruz says. In contrast to CIW’s grassroots initiative, she adds, the Wendy’s plan “basically does not include any worker voice or worker participation.… they created it basically to evade taking responsibility for the conditions of workers in their supply chain instead of joining the Fair Food Program.”

Wendy’s has also sought to circumvent the Fair Food Program through the market, by sourcing tomatoes in Mexico, even further distanced from public scrutiny by US regulators or community groups.