Tell McDonald's to Ensure Fair Wages for Farm Workers

Farm workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's sandwiches earn 40 to 50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick. Workers who toil from dawn to dusk without the right to overtime pay or any benefits must pick two tons of tomatoes to earn $50 in one day. As a major buyer of Florida tomatoes, McDonald's high-volume, low-cost purchasing practices place downward pressure on farm worker wages, putting corporate profits before human dignity.

Last year, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Yum Brands (Taco Bell's parent company) reached a groundbreaking agreement to directly improve farm worker wages and enforce a code of conduct for humane conditions in Taco Bell's tomato supply chain. Yet McDonald's has refused to work with the CIW to create similar change in its supply chain.

The Bible teaches God's command that society be organized so that all members have genuine access to the resources needed to live a decent life and provide for their families. As Christians, we stand with these workers in witnessing against unjust corporate practices that undermine human dignity and chip away at the common good. Please take action today to encourage McDonald's to change these deplorable conditions.

Tell me more

Subject:

Dear Mr. Langert and Mr. Skinner,

(Edit Letter Below)

I am writing out of concern for the farm workers who pick the tomatoes for McDonald's sandwiches and premium salads. As a Christian, I believe that all human beings are created in the image of God, and I encourage McDonald's to recognize that the human beings who harvest its tomatoes deserve fair wages, real rights, and a voice in the protection of those rights.

I am disappointed by McDonald's failure to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to address the subpoverty wages and exploitative working conditions which farm workers endure. Tomato pickers earn 40 to 50 cents per 32-pound bucket of tomatoes and work long hours without overtime pay or any benefits. Public relations efforts, such as McDonald's faulty "study" of farm worker wages, have not changed that. McDonald's must work with the CIW to improve wages and enforce a meaningful code of conduct for workers in its tomato supply chain.

As a powerful corporation, McDonald's has an opportunity to create great change in the U.S. agricultural industry and seek the common good for the most vulnerable among us. However, McDonald's must understand that this change can only come in true partnership with farm workers. Therefore, I urge McDonald's to partner with the CIW and look forward to the day when we can celebrate dignity and justice for those who harvest McDonald's tomatoes.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Take Action on this Issue

Send this message to:

Mr. Bob Langert, Dir. of Social Responsibility, McDonald's
Mr. Jim Skinner, CEO, McDonald's

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