MAITLAND, Fla., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A farm workers' group may have persuaded two fast-food giants to have their tomato suppliers pay pickers more, but it still faces obstacles in Florida.
The workers' efforts ran into opposition from Burger King, which refused to ask its suppliers to pay higher wages, and a main growers' association in Florida, which threatened a $100,000 fine against growers cooperating with McDonald's or Yum Brands, Taco Bell's parent, The New York Times reported Monday.
"The only way you can describe this industry is the way it was described 40 years ago: It's a harvest of shame," said Lucas Benitez, of the the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the farm workers' organization.
Steve Grover, vice president for food safety and regulatory compliance at Burger King, said his company refused it did not employ pickers directly.
The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, representing 90 percent of Florida's growers, threatened "non-compliance penalties" for growers sharing information about wages or tonnage picked with third parties, the Times said.
Reggie Brown, the exchange's executive vice president, said the Maitland, Fla., group's lawyers indicated the Coalition of Immokalee Workers violated antitrust laws in joining with Yum Brands and McDonald's to get growers to pay higher wages.
