Over 35,000 Oxfam America supporters send BK CEO John Chidsey a message he can’t afford to ignore!

Over 35,000 Oxfam America supporters send BK CEO John Chidsey a message he can’t afford to ignore!…

Meanwhile, dozens protest in Knoxville, TN — and deliver their own message — and the Alliance for Fair Food gains several new endorsers…

The pressure just keeps building on Burger King, as the call for Fair Food continues to echo across the country. Long-time CIW ally Oxfam America put out the call to its vast network of supporters through an e-action recently, resulting in a petition with over 28,000 signatures that Oxfam mailed this week to BK CEO John Chidsey. You can check out the Oxfam petition by clicking here, and add your name to the list if you haven’t already while the petition is still up! [The way things are headed in the campaign, Burger King might just want to clear out a floor or two of that fine headquarters of theirs just to house more petitions like Oxfam’s…]

Meanwhile, Dave Ling, Co-Chair of Jobs with Justice of East Tennessee out of Knoxville, sent us this report from a great action (pictured here on the right) this past weekend:

"This is a report on a very successful demonstration which Jobs With Justice of East Tennessee and its allies staged at a local Burger King outlet on Saturday, Jan. 26–the Global Justice Day of Action. About 55 persons showed up, many from JWJ and TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition), as well as from local labor unions (UNITE-HERE, CWA, and the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council), churches, and students from the Progressive Student Alliance at the University of Tennessee. We had signs and banners and picketed in front of the Burger King outlet at 2806 N. Broadway in Knoxville, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

At noon several of us entered the store and asked to speak with the manager. We gave her a letter which urged local franchise owners and management to contact the executive leadership in Miami and urge them to stop their resistance to an agreement with the CIW and work to improve the wages and working conditions of Florida tomato pickers. She accepted the letter, thanked us, and promptly conveyed our request to the owner. [click here to see the letter]

We are planning to demonstrate at a Burger King outlet once a month until there is an acceptable settlement."

Finally, the Alliance for Fair Food just keeps growing, with new endorsements coming in regularly in the wake of Burger King’s decision to join forces with the most conservative elements of the Florida tomato industry in opposing fair wages and working conditions for farmworkers. The latest organizations to join the AFF include:

  • The National Jesuit Committee in Investment Responsibility
  • The Louisville (KY) Presbyterian Theological Seminary
  • The Green Party of Florida
  • Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
  • 5 Rights, Inc.
  • Physicians for Human Rights at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Our sincerest thanks go out to all the newest members of the fastest growing movement for food justice in the country, and we look forward to working together in the months and years ahead to bring Burger King and other food industry leaders behind the princples of the Campaign for Fair Food!