Activists working for the rights of agricultural workers brought their campaign against McDonald’s to Saint Louis University on Tuesday, March 27. Joined by local labor activists and some SLU students, the group marched through campus and picketed the McDonald’s on Lindell Boulevard. The protestors demanded that the fast-food chain raise wages and ensure fair working conditions for the immigrant laborers in Florida’s tomato fields.
“This is important because everyone deserves a living wage. I don’t think people know about what’s going on. I hope we can make them care,” Joe Eggleston, a sophomore studying social work, who participated in the protest, said.
Tuesday’s protest was part of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Real Rights Tour, which will stop in several other Midwestern cities before reaching McDonald’s corporate headquarters in Chicago on April 1.
The coalition represents the interests of agricultural workers in southern Florida. Mostly immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Haiti, the workers pick tomatoes for about 45 cents per bucket. The coalition says that workers’ wages have remained stagnant for almost 30 years. Coalition members also allege that workers often suffer physical abuse and “sweatshop conditions.”
Following a four-year campaign, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers won concessions from Taco Bell earlier this month. Taco Bell agreed to pay a penny more per pound for tomatoes, to increase workers’ wages. Taco Bell will also demand that its suppliers accept a code of conduct respecting workers’ rights. The coalition is now campaigning for McDonald’s to accept a similar agreement.
Activities at SLU began with an informational meeting in the Busch Student Center. Speaking through a translator, an agricultural worker from Immokalee shared the story of his organization’s struggle against Taco Bell and explained its current campaign against McDonald’s.
Beginning at noon, the activists left the Busch Student Center and marched through SLU’s campus. Beating drums and carrying placards, the marchers distributed pamphlets and shouted slogans like, “Hey, hey, ho, ho! Exploitation’s got to go!”
The protestors arrived at the McDonald’s on Lindell Boulevard and picketed there for about two hours. Several police cars were present to keep order, as were reporters from National Public Radio and People’s Weekly World. Protestors included members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet. A number of SLU students also participated. Phillip Hong, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Social Work, had one of his classes attend the event.
“In class, we’ve talked about conflict theory as a way to push for social change, and this protest is a practical example. I’ve been to a lot of protests, and I wanted to come to this one to see how many people turned out,” Jennafer Wells, a junior in Hong’s class, said.
