Farmworkers in the tomato fields of Immokalee, Florida talk to WORT-FM community radio about their struggle for justice and their upcoming "Truth Tour."
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Workers in the fields of Immokalee, Florida typically earn wages well below poverty level. They have been harassed and beaten by field bosses. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers will spend the next two months on a "Truth Tour" of the United States. They intend to hold demonstrations and talks about the labor practices of numerous multinational restaurant chains that buy tomatoes and other produce from the industrial farms of Immokalee. Taco Bell in particular is a huge buyer from tomato packers in the area, and Taco Bell boasted a $5.2 billion profit in 1999 alone. Immokalee workers feel that Taco Bell has the power to influence labor practices of its growers. This tour will culminate in a convergence in Los Angeles at the Taco Bell headquarters on March 10 and 11. The interviews included here were recorded during a stop made in Madison, Wisconsin by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers on January 25, 2002.
This five minute radio piece originally aired on 01/28/02 on Madison Wisconsin's WORT-FM community radio during the volunteer-run local news show, In Our Backyard.
http://www.ciw-online.org/
And see the following links for recent midwest actions against Taco Bell.
Milwaukee protests in Dec 01: http://madison.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=2098&group=webcast
Madison Protests in Oct 01: http://madison.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=1350&group=webcast