Wendy鈥檚 feels the heat: protestors set to NYC streets to demand justice for farmworkers
On Thursday, March 3, hundreds are set to march to the office of Wendy鈥檚 Board Chairman, Nelson Peltz. Farmers, religious leaders, students, and consumers are hitting the streets of New York City to demand that the fast food giant joins the Coalition of Immokalee Workers鈥櫬�(CIW) award-winning Fair Food Program (FFP).
Regarded as one of the best聽聽in the United States, the FFP is an innovative partnership between farmers, farmworkers, and fourteen major food retailers.
Participating retailers聽such as McDonald鈥檚, Burger King, and Walmart agree to purchase exclusively from suppliers who meet a worker-driven code of conduct. Additionally, retailers agree to pay a 鈥減enny-per-pound鈥� premium, which is passed down through the supply chain and paid out directly to the farmworkers. Since the program鈥檚 inception in 2011, the FFP has added US$20 million to participating growers鈥� payroll. Originally focused on Florida-grown tomatoes, the program has recently expanded to six additional states and extended to two new crops.
According to the聽, Wendy鈥檚 is one of the largest buyers of tomatoes in the restaurant industry. Yet, they have refused to join the FFP. In fact, following the widespread implementation of the FFP in Florida fields, Wendy鈥檚 inexplicably pulled its purchases from the state altogether. In 2015, Wendy鈥檚 did release its own supplier code of conduct, but CIW has since聽聽it for lack of accountability.
Thursday鈥檚 march will mark the beginning of the CIW鈥檚 five-city聽, which builds on a three-year consumer campaign and a year-long national student boycott of Wendy鈥檚. The march will commence at 4聽p.m. at W 58th St between 8th and 9th Ave, near Columbus Circle, and end at Trian Partners (280 Park Ave) in Midtown Manhattan.
This article first appeared at .
