Boycott Burger King - Immokale Workers to Take 40% Cut; Goldman Sachs in SF major owner

Boycott Burger King (of corporate greed).
by Geekesque [Subscribe]
Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 10:38:05 AM PST
The people who run Burger King may be the worst human beings on the planet.

No, I am not exaggerating.

They are the greediest, least compassionate, and most despicable corporate actors I have heard of in a long, long, long time.

What was at stake for them? A single goddamn penny.

More below the fold.

Geekesque's diary :: ::
In today's New York Times, Eric Schlosser gives us the run down.

THE migrant farm workers who harvest tomatoes in South Florida have one of the nation’s most backbreaking jobs. For 10 to 12 hours a day, they pick tomatoes by hand, earning a piece-rate of about 45 cents for every 32-pound bucket. During a typical day each migrant picks, carries and unloads two tons of tomatoes. For their efforts, this holiday season many of them are about to get a 40 percent pay cut.
A forty-percent pay cut? And what does this have to do with Burger King (of corporate greed)?

In 2005, Florida tomato pickers gained their first significant pay raise since the late 1970s when Taco Bell ended a consumer boycott by agreeing to pay an extra penny per pound for its tomatoes, with the extra cent going directly to the farm workers. Last April, McDonald’s agreed to a similar arrangement, increasing the wages of its tomato pickers to about 77 cents per bucket. But Burger King, whose headquarters are in Florida, has adamantly refused to pay the extra penny — and its refusal has encouraged tomato growers to cancel the deals already struck with Taco Bell and McDonald’s.
Oh, yes, the Florida Tomato Growers belong in Hell right along the side of Burger King (of corporate greed) executives.

Just in case you weren't sickened enough:

This month the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, representing 90 percent of the state’s growers, announced that it will not allow any of its members to collect the extra penny for farm workers. Reggie Brown, the executive vice president of the group, described the surcharge for poor migrants as "pretty much near un-American."
If you're a Burger King executive, migrant farm workers aren't as important as cattle:

Yet the company has adopted a far more activist approach when the issue is the well-being of livestock. In March, Burger King announced strict new rules on how its meatpacking suppliers should treat chickens and hogs. As for human rights abuses, Burger King has suggested that if the poor farm workers of southern Florida need more money, they should apply for jobs at its restaurants.
And let's not forget the Wall Street greed and decadence either.

Three private equity firms — Bain Capital, the Texas Pacific Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners — control most of Burger King’s stock. Last year, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd C. Blankfein, earned the largest annual bonus in Wall Street history, and this year he stands to receive an even larger one. Goldman Sachs has served its investors well lately, avoiding the subprime mortgage meltdown and, according to Business Week, doubling the value of its Burger King investment within three years.

Telling Burger King to pay an extra penny for tomatoes and provide a decent wage to migrant workers would hardly bankrupt the company. Indeed, it would cost Burger King only $250,000 a year. At Goldman Sachs, that sort of money shouldn’t be too hard to find. In 2006, the bonuses of the top 12 Goldman Sachs executives exceeded $200 million — more than twice as much money as all of the roughly 10,000 tomato pickers in southern Florida earned that year. Now Mr. Blankfein should find a way to share some of his company’s good fortune with the workers at the bottom of the food chain.
Don't buy a damn thing from Burger King. And, if you have any leverage with its big three equity players, please use it.



"[R]ather high-minded, if not a bit self-referential"--The Washington Post.

by Geekesque on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 10:39:06 AM PST

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* [new] My thought is that the tax rate is too low (79+ / 0-)
Recommended by:gpclay, Ed in Montana, sj, neonplaq, Raybin, CalDoc, RFK Lives, object16, exNYinTX, Vitarai, PBCliberal, opinionated, mytribe, javelina, aitchdee, danthrax, jsmagid, oldjohnbrown, cosette, mcfly, lcrp, DelicateMonster, Hardhat Democrat, vivens fons, leolabeth, historys mysteries, Tinfoil Hat, NoMoreLies, zaraspooksthra, Tonedevil, Ranting Roland, CarolynC967, jimreyn, AnotherMassachusettsLiberal, Geekesque, serrano, tony the American Mutt, Flippant, jct, third Party please, trashablanca, tonyahky, Yellow Canary, Dvalkure, imabluemerkin, justalittlebitcrazy, ER Doc, CA Nana, Clive all hat no horse Rodeo, pissedpatriot, Statusquomustgo, illusionmajik, NonnyO, sarasson007, xaxado, wa ma, offgrid, lemming22, dallasdave, yoduuuh do or do not, malharden, dconrad, jayden, ca democrat, Newzie, GeorgeXVIII, ImpeachKingBushII, cville townie, nom de paix, galaxy33, Wes Opinion, beltane, el vasco, Seamus D, temprano, luckylizard, echatwa, lenzy1000, malibu1964
We can quit this shit if we make anything over 5-10 million dollars a year taxable at about 95%. Make provisions for income averaging if you wish, but take the King Midas aspect off the table and maybe people will start acting a little better, if they don't then they can fill the coffers and we'll use the money to pay for school and health care.

"I said, 'wait a minute, Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man.'" Robbie Robertson -8.13, -4.56

by NearlyNormal on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 10:51:58 AM PST

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* [new] you are right on point, this greed hurts Ameriuca (78+ / 0-)

How do you know a Republican is lying? Ask one: If the Republicans can lower gas prices for 60 days before an election, why won't they do it all the time?

by ca democrat on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 11:04:24 AM PST

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* [new] Fast Food Nation: they are all corrupt (55+ / 0-)
McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King- essentially all peas in a pod, greedy rich owners foisting their disgusting slop on ill-informed consumers.

Don't walk through the door of ANY fast food place until you have read "Fast Food Nation". Read about the e coli infected meat, the contents of the animals intestines and colons spread throughout the flesh that is then sold to unsuspecting people after hosing it off. No inspectors in sight, and even if they were you can be sure bushco has them looking the other way.

by MD patriot on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 11:10:33 AM PST

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* [new] it starts at the bottom (11+ / 0-)

they are corrupt because they can. it all starts on the "farm" and works its way up from there. Can we take away the monopoly over our food?

by semicolon on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 11:31:50 AM PST

350 comments at website