September 21, 2006
Mr. Steve Ells
Founder, Chairman & CEO
Chipotle Mexican Grill
1543 Wazee Street, Suite 200
Denver, CO 80202
Dear Mr. Ells:
I am writing to urge Chipotle to improve its standards for growers that supply produce and other farm products to your company. Many farm workers in the United States work under deplorable conditions that have long been eradicated in other developed countries and are prohibited by International Labor Organization Conventions and other human rights standards. I urge you to protect the Chipotle brand name by improving the wages and working conditions of farm workers who supply produce for the Chipotle chain.
In recent years, many of the most egregious labor rights violations in the United States have occurred in the Florida produce industry. Since 1997 the U.S. Department of Justice has successfully prosecuted five agricultural operations for modern-day workplace slavery, resulting in the conviction and imprisonment of seven agricultural employers. In these cases, farm workers have been forced to work against their will, held captive, and coerced through violence or the threat of violence. Clearly, these labor practices are incompatible with Chipotle’s reputation as a responsible company.
I, personally, and the Denver Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, institutionally, are committed to strongly supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and the Campaign for Fair Food. We are proud members of the Alliance for Fair Food, a network that includes scores of human rights, faith, student, and community leaders and institutions nationwide. To date, the AFL-CIO has supported over 200,000 labor activist sending letters to Chipotle and McDonald’s calling for fair wages and working conditions in the companies’ supply chains.
I encourage Chipotle to partner with the CIW to develop an enforceable grower code of conduct that reflects the needs and priorities of those who work to harvest produce for Chipotle. This code should ensure that farm workers receive a living wage and adequate benefits. Specifically, Chipotle should immediately agree to pay a fairer price of at least one more penny per pound for the tomatoes it purchases with that increase passed on to farm workers. Particularly given the decades of stagnant farm worker wages, documented by the U.S. Department of Labor, immediate economic relief is imperative.
The grower code of conduct should also guarantee basic worker rights, including the right to organize and collectively bargin. Farm workers are excluded from key federal laws, including the National Labor Relations Act, that protect the rights of workers in other industries. Unfortunately, Chipotle’s current supplier standards exploit these legal deficiencies.
The crisis in Florida’s fields presents Chipotle with the opportunity to break important new ground in corporate responsibility by leading the way toward humane labor standards for U.S. farm workers after decades of abuse. Chipotle’s leadership in this arena is crucial. Labor exploitation is so severe and deeply-rooted in Florida agriculture that it is unconscionable to leave the solution to the very employers who have responsible for those abuses. Your company must not let its vision—and its reputation—be defined by agricultural employers who do not share Chipotle’s commitment to principles of social responsibility.
I commend Chipotle’s strong commitment to corporate responsibility, and I am confident that you will take the necessary steps to prevent human rights abuses in the produce industry in the United States. As a first step, I encourage you to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve the lives of farm workers. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Leslie Moody
President
cc: J. Sweeney
CIW