Bishop Manz (pictured on left), Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Liaison to Migrant Farmworkers for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, sent a powerful letter to McDonald’s CEO James Skinner this week, calling on the fast-food giant to not only take immediate steps to address farmworker poverty in its tomato supply chain, but also “to change its course and begin in earnest to work together with the CIW to ensure justice and dignity for those who harvest McDonald’s tomatoes.”

Here’s an excerpt from Bishop Manz’s letter:

“McDonald’s attempt to silence the voice of the CIW farmworkers is unacceptable and unworthy of a company that prides itself on social responsibility. McDonald’s excluded the CIW from the process of developing its grower standards, resulting in standards that fall considerably short of bringing any real measure of improvements to farmworkers’ deplorable working conditions. Likewise, McDonald’s recent study of farmworker wages ignored both the CIW and numerous well-respected, independent studies—all of which make it quite clear that farmworkers earn sub-poverty wages—and resulted in a hastily-compiled, highly-criticized document that has done little more than cast doubt on your company’s hard-earned reputation as a leader in social responsibility.” READ THE FULL LETTER HERE

You can see the full text of Bishop Manz’s letter by clicking here.