Today, we bring you big news from the Student/Farmworker Alliance, the ever-growing, national network of students and young people who have been keeping the heat cranked up on Wendy’s all year long! This week, students announced their October National Week of Action, with the theme of “Pulling Back the Curtain on Wendy’s”. So mark your calendars, Fair Food Nation, because on October 22nd – 28th, students will be bringing the call for human rights in the fields straight to Wendy’s doorstep on campuses and in the streets across the country!
Here are the full details on the upcoming action – and how YOU can get involved!
ACTION ALERT: “Pulling Back the Curtain on Wendy’s” National Week of Action, Oct. 22-28!
Students across the country are gearing up for a week of coordinated protests to expose human rights abuses in Wendy’s produce supply chain and demand a commitment to the Fair Food Program!
Earlier this summer, caving to massive pressure generated by the Fair Food movement’s national boycott, Wendy’s announced its decision to move the vast majority of its tomato purchasing away from the Mexican tomato industry to U.S. and Canadian greenhouses by year end. But we, as young people and steadfast allies to the CIW, are far from being fooled by Wendy’s new tomato sourcing strategy.
Contrary to the misinformation released by Wendy’s, including the claim of the”inherent benefits of safe, indoor working conditions” in greenhouse operations, this shift is nothing more than another PR ploy to deceive consumers. As CIW debunked early on, greenhouses do not inherently shield farmworkers from sexual violence and exploitation — and without meaningful enforcement and monitoring, abuses will undoubtedly flourish with impunity.
Wendy’s: we’re on to your empty sustainability rhetoric and your phony auditing schemes and we’re not going anywhere!
As the school season kicks back up, we are mobilizing our campuses and communities to pull back the curtain on Wendy’s shameful façade of social responsibility and expose the truth behind the tomato that tops a Dave’s Single.
We’re calling for a national week of action from Oct. 22-28 to demand real transparency and verifiable protections against sexual harassment, forced labor and other human rights abuses in Wendy’s produce supply chain. And, inspired by the CIW’s brilliant tradition of using popular education and theater as a tool to organize, agitate and raise consciousness among farmworkers and consumers, we’re inviting SFAers to include a theater skit about the Wendy’s Boycott as part of the protest!
Here are three ways YOU can participate:
1. Hit the streets — Organize a creative action at your local Wendy’s or on your campus, and perform a theater piece to amplify your message! Whether you’re planning a vibrant march, an energetic picket or another type of demonstration, be sure to reach out to us for resources and support at organize@sfalliance.org.
2. Educate your community about the boycott — Plan a “teach-in” about the fight for Fair Food or invite a farmworker leader of the CIW and an SFA member to give a presentation on your campus! Educational events are a great outreach tool to spread the word about the boycott, recruit new members to join organizing efforts on campus, and build up hype before action day. You could also test run your teatro skills at the event.
3. Post your theater performance on social media — As Wendy’s trolls the Internet with snarky comebacks and cheap deal promotions, let’s put the fast-food giant’s dirt on blast by posting your performance online using #BoycottWendys! Oh, and don’t forget to @Wendys.
As Wendy’s target market, we won’t conform to theatrical announcements and empty promises. We are not mindless props for corporate profits, and we demand justice for the women and men whose backbreaking labor in the fields makes it possible for Wendy’s executives to line their pockets. The battle against Wendy’s is far from over, and now pushes forward with more righteous urgency than ever before. Join us!
Drop a note at organize@sfalliance.org if you’re planning on taking action from Oct. 22-28. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for an organizing kit, including a guide to preparing your theater performance, a sample press release and more!
And if you haven’t done so already, apply for the 2018 SFA Encuentro convening from Sept. 20-23 in Immokalee, FL, where we’ll dive deeper into strategy plans for pulling back the curtain on Wendy’s. Applications are due September 1.