PRESSURE GROWS ON BK AND ITS CEO FOR ACTION IN RESPONSE TO GROWING SCANDAL

Continuing coverage into the widening Burger King scandal has uncovered public statements by BK CEO John Chidsey similar to those that landed BK vice president Steven Grover in hot water when he was discovered to have been behind a series of anonymous internet attacks on the CIW. Here’s some of the latest coverage:

Here’s an excerpt from the Nation article:

"… As recently as October, Chidsey delivered a lecture at his alma mater, Davidson College, and made statements almost identical to the ones now linked to Grover. Chidsey said of dealing with CIW, ‘The union said the money has to go in the union coffers and "we’ll decide what’s better for the workers."’Two weeks prior to this statement the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – which had been closely involved in negotiations for the wage increase – had written Burger King to request that it stop making these false statements to the press. The Carter Center and Yum Brands issued similar statements defending CIW. Chidsey also mocked the very notion of farmworker poverty (which has even been documented by the Bush Administration’s Department of Labor), saying, ‘The facts on the tomatoes are very straightforward…. The average tomato picker in the state of Florida makes $12.56 an hour. If you’re really good, you can make $20 bucks an hour…. They already make more than we pay our workers.‘ All of this is patently false.

But here’s where Burger King’s credibility takes another huge hit. According to Wilson, Grover’s comments ‘do not reflect the opinion of the company’ and led to Burger King ‘conducting our investigation and [we] will take appropriate action once we have a full understanding of the facts.’ Yet Chidsey’s comments are on the record and he’s the man at the helm of the corporation. Does that mean the CEO’s comments are not the opinion of the company he leads? And, if that’s the case, doesn’t Chidsey at the very least owe a public apology that sets the record straight about CIW and farmworker poverty? Further, why should investigations or disciplinary action be taken against Grover or any other Burger King employees but not the CEO?…" (italics added) read the article in its entirety here

The Nation story also contains calls by Senators Durbin, Kennedy, and Sanders for Burger King to immediately support the principles for farm labor reform established in the Taco Bell and McDonald’s agreements.

Meanwhile, Burger King’s internal investigation continues…