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SUPERSTAR SINGER AND ANTI-SLAVERY ACTIVIST RICKY MARTIN ENDORSES TACO BELL BOYCOTT!... Although far better known for his music than his activism, Ricky Martin has distinguished himself among artists with his exemplary work against forced labor, with a particular emphasis on the fight to end the exploitation of children. His "People for Children" project of the Ricky Martin Foundation, " funds community based programs which monitor and combat a range of problems relating to the exploitation of children... (and) is also active monitoring and combating areas including debt labor, forced labor, modern day slavery, and prostitution of children."

The CIW greatly appreciates Mr. Martin's support and we look forward to working more closely with him in the fight against modern day slavery (ok, ok... and to shaking our bonbons with him on a picket line someday, too... you know we had to say it!).

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PAX CHRISTI HONORS CIW AT ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE...

With a plaque reading:

... the delegates gathered at the 2004 National Conference in Miami not only gave beautiful words to their heartfelt alliance with Immokalee workers, but then hit the streets in a powerful action (above) , surrounding a downtown Taco Bell with nearly 200 protesters in the 90+ degree heat of July in Miami! This growing alliance promises to have an even greater impact in the months and years ahead.

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CIW MEMBER NAMED MOTHER JONES MAGAZINE'S "HELLRAISER OF THE MONTH"!... Here's a little taste from the "Hellraiser" column of the July issue of Mother Jones Magazine, in which the CIW's own Lucas Benitez (L) is featured:

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"This cannot be considered a serious proposal": Former President Jimmy Carter weighs in on Yum's "proposed solution" to the boycott...

Nobel Peace Prize winner and former US President Jimmy Carter, writing from the Carter Center in Atlanta, added his voice to the growing chorus of organizations and individuals calling on Yum Brands to take meaningful steps to improve wages and working conditions in its tomato suppliers' operations The following is the full text of the former President's statement:

"I have followed with concern for a number of years the appalling working conditions in the Florida-based tomato industry. While production costs in the industry have increased over the last 25 years, wages have been effectively stagnant, as giant cooperative buying mechanisms hold prices down. Conditions are so bad in parts of the industry that there have been two separate prosecutions for slavery in recent years.

In recent years, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has been publicly campaigning to bring attention to these abuses of human rights and for industry-wide change. In particular, CIW has led a campaign to ask Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brand, Inc., the world's largest restaurant company, to accept responsibility for ensuring that its profits are not derived from abuses of workers in its supply chain.

Recently, Yum! and CIW have been in private talks, convened by the Presbyterian Church (USA), to try to identify tangible ways to resolve the problems in the tomato industry. Regrettably, the latest round, which included talks held at The Carter Center, was not successful. On May 20, Taco Bell issued a statement that Yum! CEO David Novak has called a "proposed solution." Mr. Novak's proposal involves, first, the CIW calling off its boycott, and second, a statement that Taco Bell would be willing to work toward an industry-wide solution to pay and conditions. While Yum's belated acknowledgement of the need for improved pay and conditions is welcome, this cannot be considered a serious proposal. Yum! is saying that only if the CIW ends its boycott will it be willing to support efforts to improve wages, and only if the rest of the industry does. This is a lost opportunity for the head of the world's largest restaurant company to take the lead in eliminating human rights abuses that he knows exist within his supply chain."

The CIW thanks President Carter for his continued interest in our campaign.

If you'd like to tell Yum that "empty promises" are not enough, go to the UCC action alert here

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CIW protest at Yum Brands shareholder meeting, Yum "offer to end boycott" cause quite a stir in Louisville, nationally!... Taco Bell boycott continues following Yum CEO's public relations gambit...

Thursday, May 20th, started out as a fairly typical day in the Taco Bell boycott. Workers from Immokalee traveled to Louisville, KY, for an animated protest at Yum Brands' annual shareholder meeting, building again the "Pyramid of Poverty" (left, 125 tomato picking buckets, representing the 2 tons of tomatoes workers must pick to earn minimum wage for a 10 hour day) as the centerpiece of a protest full of eye-catching banners and a jubilant spirit.

Across the country, over 1,600 people fasted in solidarity with the workers' protest (right, fasting students at UCLA pass out flyers to fellow students, read article, "Protesters boycott Taco Bell with fast").

Then suddenly, things took an interesting turn. Inside an otherwise formulaic and oddly uncompelling shareholders meeting, Yum Brands CEO David Novak made an unexpected announcement. "We're ready to end this boycott, if you are," he told Lucas Benitez of the CIW, along with the shareholders and the gathered press.

Sadly... it turns out that the "offer" (which Yum spent considerable energy publicizing following Thursday's annual meeting, leaving little doubt as to the real purpose behind the move...) was not so interesting, nor so sincere, after all. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details.

In short, Yum's CEO offered to work with the CIW toward an industry-wide surcharge of 1 penny per pound to be paid by all buyers of Florida tomatoes, and second, to help lobby Florida's legislature for better working conditions. In return, he demanded that the CIW end the Taco Bell boycott immediately (i.e., in exchange for Yum's willingness to work together, not for the actual achievement of any real change). For those of you who like to cut to the chase, here is the CIW's formal answer to Yum's "offer":

"At the shareholders' meeting, we asked David Novak to enter personally into meaningful talks to address farmworkers' sub-poverty wages and sweatshop working conditions and to resolve the boycott. Apparently he prefers to negotiate through the press. So here's our answer: As it stands right now, your offer is little more than a transparent public relations ploy -- empty promises with no real commitment to change. When you're ready to talk about real change for real people, we are ready, too.

It took your company three full years to finally acknowledge what the CIW has been saying all along: that farmworkers are indeed a part of your business, and that the workers who pick your tomatoes are indeed in need of real change in their wages and working conditions. But simply acknowledging what so many have said for so long is not enough. Your offer does nothing to actually improve those conditions and leaves farmworkers as poor as they've ever been, with nothing more than a vague hope for change. The boycott will only end when Yum is committed to taking concrete measures to improve labor conditions for tomato harvesters in its supply chain."

For other reactions from across the nation, click on the following links:

* Statement from Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
* Presbyterian Church USA's reaction to Yum's offer by clicking here
* Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights statement by clicking here
* National Farmworker Ministry response by clicking here
* letter from the United Church of Christ to David Novak, Yum CEO

In this case, the old adage rings true: Yum, it's time for you to put your money where your mouth is. Don't just talk about a penny surcharge, pay the penny more to your Florida based tomato suppliers so that they can give farmworkers a long overdue raise in the picking piece rate. You can afford it. And don't just talk about labor reforms, reform labor abuses in your own supply chain. You have the power.

Until then -- until Yum actually commits a fraction of its considerable resources as the largest restaurant company in the world toward making these hollow promises real -- the boycott continues!

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AFL-CIO PRESIDENT JOHN SWEENEY WEIGHS IN ON TACO BELL BOYCOTT!... In a powerfully-worded letter to Yum Brands board member James Dimon (CEO of Bank One Corp.), AFL-CIO President John Sweeney wrote, "For my part, I will be urging my constituents, the 13 million members of the AFL-CIO and their families, to boycott Taco Bell products until this issue is resolved." President Sweeney's letter was written to request intervention by Mr. Dimon in favor of the Immokalee workers' demands. Click here to see the full text of President Sweeney's letter to Yum Brands board member James Dimon!

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THE HONORABLE MARY ROBINSON, FORMER UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER ON HUMAN RIGHTS, VISITS IMMOKALEE IN SOLIDARITY WITH CIW!... Ms. Robinson (shown in the photo on the right touring Immokalee migrant labor camps with CIW member Lucas Benitez) met with CIW members, took a walking tour of Immokalee, and spoke at a press conference (below, left), where she was joined by several CIW members, President of the National Council of Churches Bishop Thomas Hoyt, Rev. Noelle Damico representing the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser.

At the press conference, Ms. Robinson was refreshingly forthright in conveying her perspective on the CIW's struggle, saying:

"My message to Yum Brands is: you can't pass the buck. You are profiting by exploitation and you have the power to change what is happening in the fields. So, pay this penny a pound more for workers rights, and assume your fair share of responsibility."

Press turnout for the conference was great. Click on the links below for stories on the day's events from the:

To see CIW photos and a report from this unprecedented event, click here!

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2004 TACO BELL TRUTH TOUR A HUGE SUCCESS!

Check out all the Daily Reports from the Tour (including photos and first-hand reports from the massive rally on March 5th outside Taco Bell headquarters, the 44-mile march from East LA to Irvine, and the 8-mile march on Yum Brands headquarters in Louisville, KY), links to press reports from Kentucky to California, video shorts from the Tour, and reports from solidarity actions across the country! Click here to go to the Tour update page!

And for a special audio highlight from the tour, check out the latest remix of last year's hit Hunger Days: Endless Pangs - The Hunger Days Remix