Taco Bell policy criticized
By MATT BRAMANTI
News Writer
Upset with the plight of migrant farm laborers, members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers spoke at Notre Dame Tuesday, renewing their call for a boycott of Taco Bell restaurants.
The group was organized in 1997 to advance the interests of migrant tomato pickers in Florida and has grown to include students at college campuses across the country, including an active group at Notre Dame. As farm laborers-turned-activists spoke, students handed out bumper stickers that read, "Yo no quiero Taco Bell," a reference to the company's popular advertising campaign.
Lucas Benitez, speaking through a Spanish-language interpreter, recalled his experiences picking tomatoes in the fields of Florida. He had harsh words for the state of high-volume production.
"The history of agriculture is a history of exploitation," Benitez said.
He said pickers' wages have been stagnant for the past 20 years at, "40 to 45 cents per 32-pound bucket." Benitez expressed optimism that market pressure can force companies such as Taco Bell to pay higher wages to their suppliers.
"We should democratize these corporations … it can be done," Benitez said.
CIW member Laura Germino called on Taco Bell executives to increase the price they pay for tomatoes. She estimated the cost of individual menu items could rise by less than a penny, while migrant workers would enjoy a significantly higher standard of living than they have now.
"They don't even have to pass the cost on to the customer; they could cut executive pay," Germino said to scattered laughter from the audience.
Notre Dame junior Brigitte Gynther encouraged students to participate in CIW actions, including the group's weekly picket of a Taco Bell restaurant in Mishawaka.
Gynther also asked students to view such protests as part of a broader social movement. She condemned the "privatization of industry as seen in the Free Trade Act of the Americas" as a threat to social justice.
All News Stories for Wednesday, October 16, 2002
