The Taco Bell Boycott 
[2-18-04]

History in Brief

Farmworkers picking tomatoes in Florida receive 40 – 45 cents for every 32 pound bucket of tomatoes picked and earn, on average, $7,500 a year according to the Department of Labor.  Their wages have remained unchanged in more than 20 years.  In the past five years there have been three cases of debt-bondage slavery in the tomato fields that have been prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice and for which convictions and prison sentences have been handed down to crew leaders.  Two more cases were uncovered in the fall of 2003. 

In 1996 farmworkers formed the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and engaged in hunger strikes, work stoppages, and appeals to government leaders to address the exploitation in the fields.  But there was no significant movement from the growers to raise wages or to dialogue with the workers.  In 1999 “The Packer,” a grower’s journal published an article describing the long-term contractual relationship between Taco Bell and one of the lowest paying growers in Florida, the Six-L’s Packing Company.

 So in 2000 the Coalition of Immokalee Workers sought the help of an important client of Florida growers, Taco Bell.  When Taco Bell did not respond to multiple letters and phone calls requesting that they address exploitation among their tomato suppliers, the workers called for a consumer boycott of Taco Bell in 2001.  The workers and those who support the boycott are asking Taco Bell:

What religious bodies are observing the boycott?

After much study and prayer, this consumer boycott was endorsed by many national religious bodies including the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the American Friends Service Committee and most recently, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the (U.S.A.) whose membership comprises 36 Protestant and Orthodox communions whose constituent membership represents over 50 million Christians in the United States.  Church leaders and local congregations have been actively letter-writing and boycotting the restaurant and its products.  The boycott has also been endorsed by Bishop John J. Nevins of the Diocese of Venice in Florida who has written to all of the congregations in his diocese. 

How has the Presbyterian Church been involved?

Local congregations and presbyteries in Florida have been ministering to the needs of farmworkers through donations of clothing, food, shared prayer and by supporting Immokalee based service organizations that seek to ameliorate education, health, and housing needs.  Realizing that such charitable ministry was essential but would not eliminate the poverty or exploitation faced by the workers, local Presbyterians encouraged the CIW to apply for a Self Development of People grant.  The CIW received the grant which helped them coordinate worker campaigns and start a co-op which provides basic foodstuffs at discounted prices to workers. As Florida clergy and members accompanied the workers through the hunger strikes, marches, and work stoppages mentioned above, they and the workers grew to believe that significant change could realistically be achieved by approaching the problem from the top of the agri-food industry chain – not only with the growers, but with the grower’s clients who profited from worker exploitation in the form of low-cost tomatoes.  After the workers called for a consumer boycott of Taco Bell, the Tampa Bay Presbytery brought a resolution in support of the boycott to the General Assembly. 

After study, reflection and prayer General Assembly endorsed the consumer boycott of Taco Bell in June 2002.  Since that time the stated clerk has written to Taco Bell, Yum! Brands, Inc. (Taco Bell’s parent company), the Florida state legislature and senate, and to Six L’s Packing Company calling upon all parties to address the exploitation.   A half-time national staff person was hired to coordinate the church’s participation, a website, www.pcusa.org/boycott, was established and resources on the boycott were produced.  Congregations have been observing the boycott, holding educational forums and letter-writing campaigns, and participating in public actions to draw attention to these issues.  Some Presbyterians who are shareholders in Yum! voted for a shareholder resolution in May 2003 which called on Yum! to provide comprehensive reporting on labor conditions throughout its supply chain which garnered an unprecedented 39% of shareholder votes. A similar resolution will be voted upon in May 2004.

Because of the strength of the Presbyterian Church’s witness, the stated clerk was able to convene a meeting between the farmworkers and senior Yum! Brand’s management.  The dialogue was vigorous and opened channels for further communication though no breakthroughs were achieved. 

What’s happened recently?

In November 2003 three members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for their work on the boycott and against slavery in the fields.  It is the first time in the award’s history that it has been presented to people living and working in the United States.  In the fall of 2003 the CIW was featured in National Geographic Magazine and a PBS documentary on slavery.

What can we do?

For more information

For more information visit www.pcusa.org/boycott or email boycott@pcusa.org or call 631-751-7076

January 2004