FARMWORKERS FOCUS ON MCDONALD'S

For several years, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), and a vast
network of allies, pressured Taco Bell to take responsibility for the abysmal
conditions faced by the farmworkers who pick their tomatoes. In March of
2005, Taco Bell agreed to do so. The agreement established a partnership
between Yum Brands, Taco Bell's parent company, and the Coalition of
Immokalee Workers and set several important precedents for social
responsibility in the fast-food industry. Among those precedents, Taco Bell
agreed to pay a penny more per pound for the tomatoes it buys from Florida
growers -- an increase that nearly doubles workers' sub-poverty wages -- and
to establish the first-ever enforceable Code of Conduct for US agricultural
suppliers. Yet despite strong public support for this ground-breaking agreement,
McDonalds has steadfastly refused to follow Taco Bell's lead on this simple
path to justice.

For this reason, CIW is now focusing its efforts on McDonald's, the worlds
largest restaurant chain. McDonald's has tried to circumvent the CIW call for
justice by teaming with Florida growers to create a group called Socially
Accountable Farm Employment (SAFE), but this path  threatens to undercut
the wage gains won by farmworkers in the Taco Bell Boycott and to push
workers back away from the table where decisions are made that affect their
lives.

McDonald's clearly knows how to do better. The fast-food giant recently
announced an agreement to purchase only fair-trade coffee for over 650 of
its restaurants, paying a reasonable premium over market price so that the
workers who pick their coffee can receive a fair wage and enjoy humane labor
conditions. Yet McDonald's refuses to pay even a penny more per pound for
its tomatoes so that Florida farmworkers can earn a better wage. Likewise,
McDonald's requires its toy suppliers in China to respect internationally
recognized labor rights, including the right to overtime pay and the right to
organize, but refuses to require its tomato suppliers in Florida to respect those
same fundamental rights.

In the face of McDonald's steadfast refusal to treat farmworkers with respect,
demand truly humane labor standards of its suppliers, and pay a fairer price
for tomatoes in order to address farmworker poverty -- poverty which has
helped pad McDonald's profits for more than 50 years -- the CIW and allies
are bringing their message to McDonald's headquarters in the Chicagoland
area from March 24 - April 4. They are calling for ...

- The right to a fair wage, after more than 25 years of sub-poverty wages and
stagnant piece rates
- The right for farmworkers to participate in the decisions that affect their
lives, after decades of sweatshop conditions and humiliating labor relations
- The right to a real code of conduct based on modern labor standards, after
McDonald's and its suppliers unilaterally imposed a hollow code of conduct
comprised of minimal labor standards and suspect monitoring

Immokalee, Florida is home of one of the largest farmworker communities in
the country. For more info on the Immokalee campaign visit
http://www.ciw-online.org/
or listen to 8th Day's highly informative interview of Melody Gonzalez,
national coordinator of the Student/Farmworker Alliance, at
http://www.8thdaycenter.org/resources/radioshow.html

ACTION
Contact McDonald's now, or at your earliest convenience and demand
that they, too, pay a fair price for their tomatoes and that they work with
the CIW to end human rights violations in the fields.

1. Print out the sample letter below, or write your own, and mail or fax it to

McDonald's Corporation
Attn: Bob Langert, Senior Director, Social Responsibility
2111 McDonald's Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523

FAX: 630-623-7409

2. Or call McDonald's at 800-244-6227 and ask the operator for the Social
Responsibility department. Use the sample letter as talking points in your
conversation.

3. Or fill out an online form at
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.custsat.custsat_form_social.html
You may want to cut and paste the sample letter into the online form.

4. AND, make copies of this letter and hand deliver it to your local McDonald's.
Ask the manager to pass it on to higher management.

SAMPLE LETTER
Dear __________

I am writing to urge you to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
(CIW) to improve the wages and working conditions of the farmworkers who
pick tomatoes in McDonald's supply chain. I call on you to ...

1. Pay a fair increase per pound for the tomatoes McDonald's purchases and
ensure the increase is passed along to tomato pickers.

2. Establish an enforceable code of conduct to ensure safe working conditions.

Your recent initiative to offer only fair trade coffee in your New England
restaurants demonstrates your commitment to the principles of fair wages and
working conditions for those who produce and harvest the food you sell.

You have the opportunity to ensure the same kind of dignity for the tomato
pickers in your supply chain by following the lead established by Yum Brands
earlier this year.

The agreement reached by the CIW and Yum Brands is already yielding
concrete improvements in workers' wages and conditions -- improvements
including almost doubling workers' wages when workers pick for Taco Bell.
As a self-proclaimed leader in corporate accountability, I hope McDonald's
will exceed what Yum has done by paying even more than a one penny a pound
increase for its tomatoes so that workers can regain what they've lost to inflation
over the last three decades.

I ask you to remember the harvesters in your deliberations. McDonald's has the
power to make a profound and lasting contribution to human rights. Don't miss
this opportunity.

Sincerely,
(your name and contact information)