Burger King Practices Tomato Tyranny in Florida

[Marinus van der Lubbe]

It is the sort of thing that gives neo-liberal corporatism a bad public
image, and kings too.

Farmers are threatened by Burger King and by Burger King's pet tomato
growers' lobby (Florida Tomato Growers Exchange) to not pay a penny
(one-half pence) a pound more to their workers.

In 2005, YUM Brands and Taco Bell signed an agreement with the Coalition
of Immokalee Workers to raise farm workers' pay and create a system
where a third party will make sure the pay goes to workers. The
agreement will also give workers a say in improving working conditions.
Last April, McDonald's signed a similar agreement, and now the pressure
is on Burger King to sign.

Tomato picking, why is it work that Americans won't do?

Emily Eisenhauer of the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy
at Florida International University writes:

"The problem is that the rate workers are paid for harvesting tomatoes
has not increased significantly since 1978. No raises, no cost of living
increases. Thirty years ago a dollar was worth three times what it is
today, which means workers today must work three times as hard for the
same pay. Growers say they are squeezed on both sides -- by pressure
from buyers to keep prices low and by rising production costs. So it's
the workers who get squeezed."