I have a solution for Burger King. It's called ICE let them show up and pick them up. They will soon regret their actions once placed in the Krome Detention Center.


http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16709880.htm

LABOR
Tomato pickers rally at Burger King headquartersImmokalee tomato pickers gathered outside Burger King's Miami headquarters to protest unfair wages and working conditions.
BY ELAINE WALKER
ewalker@MiamiHerald.com

MARICE COHN BAND/MIAMI HERALD STAFF
'FAIR FAST FOOD:' Farmworkers protest low wages in front of Burger King headquarters.
More photosCarrying tomato bucket-shaped signs with messages like Nuestro sudor no es gratis (``Our sweat isn't free''), farmworkers rallied on the sidewalk outside Burger King's Miami headquarters Thursday calling on the fast-food chain to help end the abuses in the Immokalee tomato fields.

More than 50 farmworkers, clergy and community leaders called for ''justice'' as they gathered to kick off their ''truth campaign,'' aimed at exposing what they say are the unfair wages and working conditions in the fields where Burger King's tomatoes are picked.

''It is a moral outrage,'' said the Rev. Noelle Damico with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and director of the Campaign for Fair Food. 'Burger King and the other fast-food companies not only profit from the farmworkers' poverty, their purchasing practices have a hand in creating that poverty.''

Damico led the crowd in chanting, ``It's time for the King to do the right thing.''

Burger King is the latest fast-food chain targeted by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who two years ago won a victory when Taco Bell agreed to pay a penny more per pound for its tomatoes following a four-year boycott. That extra money is supposed to be passed on to workers who pick tomatoes sold to Taco Bell.

Until now, the coalition and its supporters had been more vocal in its campaign against McDonald's. Discussions with Burger King had remained private because the Miami-Dade fast-food chain appeared willing to cooperate. That changed last week when Burger King went public announcing it would not agree to pay the extra penny for its tomatoes.

`WAITING'

''It's not that they can't do it, it's that they don't want to,'' said Lucas Benitez, coalition co-founder. ``We can't spend another two years waiting on promises and good will of corporations like Burger King.''

But Burger King says the main problem is that it buys its tomatoes from repacking companies, not directly from the farms. Burger King argues that it can't pay more because it doesn't have the accounting system necessary to trace how many pounds each worker picked.

''We have no way of assuring that any money we pass out would actually get to the workers that pick the tomatoes,'' said Steve Grover, vice president of quality assurance and regulatory affairs. ``The accounting alone is a Herculean task.''

Instead, Grover said Burger King has been willing to look at other ways to help. The company offered to remove any suppliers from its system if the coalition can show proof that they are violating federal labor laws. But none have been identified.

Burger King also looked at ways it could provide charitable contributions to the workers through its Have It Your Way Foundation, with ideas including building houses or creating a day-care program for workers' children, Grover said. The company offered to send recruiters to interview workers who might be interested in a restaurant job.

''We were legitimately trying to find a way to work with these folks,'' Grover said. ``They pretty much slammed the door on us. They were unwilling to look at any other alternatives.''

HELPING OUT

Burger King tried to make the protesters comfortable Thursday with bottles of free ice water, but that didn't go over well.

''We don't want you to give us water; we want that penny,'' said Monica Russo, head of the SEIU Florida Healthcare Union, among the group of Miami community leaders that joined in support. ``You can help lift our sisters and brothers out of poverty. They're working for it, all we need is for you to see that they get paid for it.''

The next step: Miami community groups plan to continue rallying against Burger King with another event scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday outside corporate headquarters.

''We are not going to let this issue drop,'' said the Rev. Frank Corbishly with the University of Miami Episcopal Church Center. ``We are not going to go away.''