CIW to end Taco Bell boycott; Taco Bell to pay penny-per-pound surcharge demanded by workers, will work with CIW to raise farm labor standards in supply chain, across industry as a whole

March 8, 2005 (IMMOKALEE/LOUISVILLE) – In a precedent-setting move, fast-food industry leader Taco Bell Corp., a division of Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), has agreed to work with the Florida-based farm worker organization, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), to address the wages and working conditions of farmworkers in the Florida tomato industry.

Taco Bell announced today that it will fund a penny per pound “pass-through” with its suppliers of Florida tomatoes, and will undertake joint efforts with the CIW on several fronts to improve working conditions in Florida’s tomato fields. For its part, the CIW has agreed to end its three-year boycott of Taco Bell, saying that the agreement “sets a new standard of social responsibility for the fast-food industry.”

Related Links:Coalition of Immokalee Workers | Student/Farmworker Alliance | 2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour | Statement from RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights | CIW Holds Chicago Forum while on 2005 Truth Tour

Related Media:Austin Indymedia Coverage of the 2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour | Taco Bell Boycott Victory Photos by the Beehive Collective