Plan goes beyond protest
Brigitte Gynther
freshman
I am very glad to see that Adam Turner is concerned about the situation of migrant farmworkers, as he expressed in his Inside Column on Tuesday, and agree with him that our protest last Sunday afternoon isn't going to change the entire world. However, I would like to address some of the issues that he raised, so that he and others on this campus can better understand what we are trying to do.
The problem of exploiting workers to produce cheap products for consumers is a complex issue that is ingrained in our society, and of course we realize that Taco Bell is just one of many companies that do this.
Something needs to change. If you know a good idea about how to end all repressive labor practices once and for all in one easy step, please share it with us.
Otherwise, we have to tackle this problem step by step, which unfortunately might mean company by company. Taco Bell was chosen to be boycotted by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for several reasons. There are several companies that pay pickers in southwest Florida, and the wages had not been raised in years. Through negotiations, hunger strikes and other tactics, several growers raised the wages paid to workers from 40 to 45 cents per bucket — not a huge increase, but it is something.
However, Six L's refuses to raise the wages. Taco Bell is one of the major buyers of tomatoes from Six L's. The Coalition tried to convince Taco Bell to pressure Six L's to meet with them, but Taco Bell did not want to get involved.
Another step was needed, and a nationwide boycott was set to start April 1 unless progress was made before then. It wasn't.
As consumers we have power because companies depend on us to buy their products. Taco Bell specifically markets to 18-24 year-olds, so they care what we, as consumers, are interested in.
We all need to stand in solidarity to encourage Taco Bell to be responsible consumers so that we too can be responsible when we eat there. In order to do this we can write letters to Taco Bell, and we can also withhold our purchases, because that is what companies feel.
Taco Bell is part of the world's largest restaurant chain and hopefully we can convince them to be a leader and model for other companies in terms of being responsible for what they purchase.
However we cannot convince Taco Bell of this alone, so we need to raise the awareness of other people. We are doing this in several ways, just one of which was holding a protest on Sunday. Rallies get the attention of people, including those at Taco Bell. Maybe, just maybe that manager will mention to the higher-ups that he is concerned, which might contribute to a decision at the top. We handed out many fliers giving details on the situation to many people who drove by, but did not force them upon people.
We did not mean to be annoying. In fact, I thought the bagpipes sounded pleasant. We were yelling so that people could hear us, but not disturbing the peace. The police came and left because we were not doing anything wrong.
Adam, you are very right in saying that "bringing about a change for [migrant farm workers] is going to take a little more than spending one Sunday afternoon," which is why this is only one step and we will not stop here. I hope you join us in our further efforts against the exploitation of workers, and look forward to hearing your ideas.
This is our society and the food we eat. Together we can achieve change.
Brigitte Gynther
freshman
Pasquerilla West
April 10, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, April 12, 2001
