CIW "CONCERT FOR FAIR FOOD" ROCKS CHICAGO'S HOUSE OF BLUES… And shakes the House of Fast-Food!

Here's what Tom Morello had to say about the "Concert for Fair Food": "It was very exciting for everybody in the room, myself included. I mean, the place was just packed to the rafters and even the stage was packed with this ring of 25 photographers two feet away from us while we were playing, so it was kind of a trippy, you know, way to do our first show. But it was a great cause and we were happy to be a part of the Immokalee farmworkers victory." read more

Watch y ahora que? here | Ver y ahora que? aca

There is still limited space on the Twin Cities Caravan to Chicago to join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for the actions in front of McDonald's HQ. If you are interested in going, check out the CIW website (www.ciw-online.org) for more info about the national mobilizations, and read on below for information about the local Caravan as well as the registration form. Contact Brian Payne with any questions: brianpayneyvp@gmail.com, 612-859-5750.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has announced a major victory in its efforts to improve the lives of migrant farm workers who work for the Chicago-based McDonald's fast-food chain.

A Coalition press release announces that "With the arrival of the 2007 Truth Tour in Chicago just days away, the CIW, McDonald's, and its suppliers gathered at the Carter Center in Atlanta Monday, April 9, to announce an agreement that guarantees" [higher wages, a stronger code of conduct, and third-party monitoring]. Read more.

The announcement comes just days before a major convergence in Chicago led by the Coalition, with actions in Oak Brook and downtown Chicago. The Coalition is expected to make a call at the convergence for greater workers' rights across the entire fast food industry.

Additional Coverage: Austin Indymedia | Gapers Block | Democracy Now!

Campaign surges forward with Burger King in its sights! Come to Chicago – now more than ever!

Today, April 9th, at The Carter Center in Atlanta, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and McDonald's announced a landmark agreement to work together to improve the wages and working conditions of the farmworkers who pick Florida tomatoes. After two years of escalating pressure by the CIW and its allies, McDonald's has agreed to all of the CIW's demands and more.

"Two years ago, our agreement with Yum Brands marked the first step toward a distant dream of ensuring human rights for workers in Florida’s fields," said Lucas Benitez of the CIW. "Today, with McDonald’s, we have taken another major step toward a world where we as farmworkers can enjoy a fair wage and humane working conditions in exchange for the hard and essential work we do every day."

Building off this tremendous momentum, the Campaign for Fair Food now surges ahead at full speed – this time towards Miami-based Burger King. Two months ago, the world's #2 burger chain publicly rebuffed the CIW by rejecting a proposed partnership, smugly offering farmworkers jobs at Burger King restaurants instead of real rights and fair wages. Now the tables have turned.

This weekend's mobilization in Chicago – where Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine have just confirmed they will perform together – takes on new significance. Join the CIW, SFA and thousands of allies in Chicago to take the fight for fair food to the next level.

Chicago IMC Coverage | Coalition of Immokalee Workers | Student Farmworker Alliance

APRIL 8, 2007: THE McDONALD'S TRUTH TOUR IS ON THE ROAD!... Yesterday at the break of dawn a bus full of farmworkers from Immokalee hit the road en route to Chicago, IL and McDonald's backyard. "We are tired, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., of ‘relying on the good will and understanding of those who profit by exploiting us.’” McDonald’s has refused to recognize the seriousness of the exploitation of tomato pickers exposed through the Taco Bell boycott, and refused to work with the CIW to address that exploitation.

In just a few short weeks, farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and their allies will travel from Immokalee, FL – home of one of the largest farmworker communities in the country – to Chicago, IL, home of the world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s. The "2007 Truth Tour: Behind the Golden Arches” will culminate in two national days of action on April 13th and 14th in the Chicago area marking a new phase in the Campaign for Fair Food. Now is the time to finalize plans to join us for these historic actions! To get involved in Austin email sfaatx (at) gmail.com. Read the rest of mobilization message HERE
| To gt on the Bus, check here for a list of cities currently organizing transportation to Chicago

Two Great Articles on the coattails of the mobilization: Open Letter to the Clown** from local ATXer | Unhappy Meal

Coalition of Immokalee Workers | Student Farmworker Alliance | allianceforfairfood.org

Clearly not overly concerned about appearances, McDonald's announced in February the payment of over $15 million dollars in bonuses -- above and beyond baseline compensation -- to CEO Jim Skinner and two other top executives. Meanwhile, McDonald's continues to claim that the company can't afford to pay farmworkers one penny more per pound for the tomatoes they pick for the burger giant.

Community activists, farmworkers, religious and labor leaders and college youth held a protest and a press conference on February 15th at Burger King headquarters. The event launched their "Truth Campaign" that will expose farmworker exploitation in the fast-food industry and the role that Burger king plays in ever-deepening farmworker poverty.

With these hands I demand the future that poverty wages have stolen from me. Farmworkers returning from picking tomatoes bought by companies, such as McDonald's, show hands stained with pesticides and heavy with hard work.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is declaring that they are tired, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, of “relying on the goodwill and understanding of those who profit from exploiting us,” and are escalating their campaign to convince McDonald’s to end human rights violations in its supply chain. As their first major action in this new phase of the campaign, they are organizing two days of action in McDonald’s corporate backyard, Chicago. The CIW will hold a march and protest outside McDonald’s corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, IL, on the 13th to be followed by a day of colorful street protests in downtown Chicago in the Latin American tradition of “Carnaval” on the 14th. Read more>> | Coalition of Immokalee Workers | Student Farmworker Alliance | Watch the Video

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers announces a major mobilization for farmworker justice, April 13 14, 2007, in the greater Chicago area. Make your plans to join us for historic actions that will usher in a new phase in the Campaign for Fair Food.

CIW: "Today, we are tired, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., of`relying on the good will and understanding of those who profit by exploiting us.'"

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers 2006 Midwest Mini-Tour has arrived back home—Immokalee—after 10 days of classroom presentations, presentations to congregations, and protests outside of numerous McDonald’s locations from Louisville, Kentucky to South Bend, Indiana. The tour was a resounding success—building local Alliance for Fair Food networks across the Midwest and laying the groundwork for the escalating campaign for fair food in McDonald’s supply chain.

In the most powerful of actions, CIW members—joined by dozens of allies—lined-up outside the international headquarters of McDonald’s with their hands outstretched towards McDonald’s onlookers with palms upwards with a simple, yet powerful, message—these are the hands that pick the tomatoes that feed the United States and grace the buns of BigMacs. Hands that provide such a critical link in our food chain deserve the respect and dignity of the job they do. Read more...

Photo Tour Updates | Video: Action outside McD HQ | Audio: MiniGira Promo | Entrevistas con Miembros | Interview with CIW Ally

Reports from the Road: Pittsburgh | Chicago