Letter from Cardinal Roger Mahoney to Emil J. Brolick — September 12, 2001:
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Sept. 12, 2001
Mr. Emil Brolick
President
Taco Bell Corp.
17901 Von Karman
Irvine, CA 92614
Dear Mr. Brolick:
For some thirty-six years now I have been very closely involved with efforts here in California to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions of the countless numbers of people who labor day and night in the fields, orchards, and vineyards of our country.
I am writing you at this time to plead with you to exercise the leadership of the Taco Bell corporation in protecting and enhancing workers rights in the tomato industry, especially in Florida, where the Taco Bell Corporation receives so much of its tomato product.
As the President of one of the largest consumers of tomato products from Florida, you are in a very special and unique position to demand greater accountability on the part of the growers and producers of tomato products from Florida.
As you probably know, a very slight increase in the cost of those tomato products, if passed on to the workers, would greatly improve their wages, benefits and working conditions.
I am writing to you to implore you to use your very special position of leadership to assist some of the poorest members of our society.
Looking forward to hearing from you, and offering you my assistance in any way that I can be of help, I am
Sincerely yours in Christ,
His Eminence
Cardinal Roger Mahoney
Archbishop of Los Angeles
Letter from Bishop Jaime Soto, Diocese of Orange, to Emil Brolick, August 10, 2001:
Diocese of Orange
August 10, 2001
Emil J. Brolick
President
Taco Bell Corp.
17901 Von Karman
Irvine, California 92614
Dear Mr. Brolick:
I am writing you to ask for your support for the efforts of the Florida farmworker organization, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW).
I met with workers from the Coalition and have consulted with the Most Reverend John Nevins, the Bishop of Venice, Florida regarding the efforts of the CIW.
I understand that they are seeking a living wage and better working conditions for the workers who pick Taco Bell’s tomatoes. Representatives of the workers are eager to discuss their situation with you.
Please give consideration to such a meeting. Encourage your tomato contractors to negotiate with the CIW.
I am available personally to discuss this matter with you.
Respectfully,
Most Reverend Jaime Soto
Auxiliary Bishop
Diocese of Orange
c: Most Reverend John Nevins, Bishop of Venice, Florida
Cardinal Roger Mahoney, Archbishop of Los Angeles
Most Revervend Tom Brown, Bishop of Orange, California
Lucas Benitez, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Letter from CIW to Emil Brolick, September 24, 2001:
September 24, 2001
Mr. Emil J. Brolick President and Chief Concept Officer
Taco Bell Corp.
17901 Von Karman
Irvine, California 92614
Dear Mr. Brolick:
We are writing to you today from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). In a letter to your company on January 24, 2001, we explained that Taco Bell, as a major buyer of fresh tomatoes, occupies a position of great influence over — and thereby moral responsibility for — the working conditions facing the farmworkers who pick the tomatoes that go into Taco Bell’s products. We asked that you meet with us to discuss those working conditions and to examine ways that Taco Bell could use its influence to bring about mutually beneficial solutions to the problems faced by tomato pickers here in Florida. To date, we have received no response to this request.
Today, September 24, 2001, was to be the day that the CIW arrived at Taco Bell’s offices in Irvine, accompanied by thousands of supporters from across the country. Our presence at your offices was to be the culmination of the “Taco Bell Truth Tour” — a two-week, cross-country journey led by farmworkers and students to raise consumer awareness of the ties between Taco Bell and the sweatshop conditions in Florida’s tomato fields.
While thousands of consumers across the country had already dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort to ensuring the success of the tour, the terrible events of September 11th stopped us — and the rest of the country — in our tracks. We immediately postponed the tour, issuing the following statement:
“Out of respect for the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives so horribly in the tragic events of September 11, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Student/Farmworker Alliance, and our friends and colleagues across the country have decided to postpone the Taco Bell Truth Tour, originally planned for September 13-30. We will announce the new tour dates at an appropriate time.
We join the families and friends of the victims in mourning the senseless loss of so many beautiful, beloved lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in these most difficult times.”
We all have learned a great deal from the tragedy of September 11th. Perhaps chief among those lessons is the fact that, in the final analysis, no business is more important than the people that dedicate their lives to its success. Over these past two weeks we have witnessed how — even on Wall Street, from its top executives to the immigrant workers who clean their offices for minimum wage — there lies at the heart of every American business a delicate web of human lives. Though at most times invisible, at times of tragedy this web is revealed to be the steel at the foundation of this country’s great resilience and the ultimate source of its economic strength. Sadly, however, it appears that your company continues to stubbornly insist on placing profits over people, refusing to acknowledge the ties between Taco Bell’s profits and the poverty of thousands of hardworking farmworkers.
Taco Bell should not continue to miss the historic opportunity presented by our request to meet and discuss the labor conditions on the farms that produce your tomatoes. By agreeing to sit with CIW representatives and taking concrete steps to address conditions in the fields, Taco Bell could not only contribute significantly to improving the lives of thousands of farmworkers, it could also dramatically distinguish itself from its competitors and take the lead — and the moral high ground — in moving your industry toward a future in which fast food is also fair food. Though you may not yet believe it, that is something your consumers want and would support, especially the young people that are such an important part of Taco Bell’s market.
In closing, we ask once again that you meet with us, representatives of the CIW, to discuss these issues and begin to examine positive solutions to the problems we face as farmworkers picking tomatoes for Taco Bell. In the end, we hope that such talks can lead to a three-part dialogue joining farmworkers, growers, and Taco Bell representatives in an effort to forge a truly fair and sustainable relationship that will carry our industry well into the future. Sincerely,
Lucas Benitez, CIW