Overture 02-44 calls for support of
farm workers in Florida
The Presbytery of Tampa Bay has submitted an overture
calling for support of a boycott of Taco Bell restaurants on behalf of
Immokalee agricultural workers in Florida.
For more information, check out the web
site of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
You might also visit the web site of the
Campaign for Labor Rights
[5-20-02]
The full text of the overture:
Overture 02-44. On Farm Worker
Justice-From the Presbytery of Tampa Bay.
The Presbytery of Tampa Bay overtures the 214th
General Assembly (2002) to do the following:
- Offer its prayers for the farm workers of Florida.
- Call upon Presbyterians to endorse and support the
national boycott of Taco Bell Restaurants and all Taco Bell products
until Taco Bell, Six Ls Corporation, and the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers mutually agree to begin negotiations that can lead to
resolution of inhumane working and living conditions.
- Instruct the Stated Clerk to express to the
president of Taco Bell, the owner of Six Ls Corporation, the
Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the governor of the State of
Florida, the president of the Florida State Senate, and the speaker
of the Florida House of Representatives the support of this boycott
by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Rationale
Scripture is replete with admonitions to seek justice
and to take care of those less fortunate than our-selves.
"You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you
shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning"
(Lev. 19:13, NRSV).
". . .and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace;
keep warm and eat your fill,' and yet you do not supply their bodily
needs, what is the good of that?" (Jas. 2:16, NRSV).
The Book of Order states in G-2.0500a(4) that
one of the great themes of the Reformed tradition is "The
recognition of the human tendency to idolatry and tyranny, which calls
the people of God to work for the transformation of society by seeking
justice and living in obedience to the Word of God."
Section G-3.0300c(3)(b, c) calls the church to be
Christ's faithful evangelist, "participating in God's activity in
the world through its life for others by . . . ministering to the needs
of the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the powerless, engaging in the
struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and
injustice."
A recent Human Rights Watch report, "Fingers to
the Bone," reports that agricultural work is the most hazardous
kind of work in which children are employed. Abuses to farm workers
include long hours (no limit), persistent wage exploitation and fraud,
and exposure to dangerous pesticides.
"Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights
of the poor and needy" (Prov. 31:9, NRSV).
The U.S. Department of Labor stated in December of
2000 that production of fruits and vegetables has increased and global
demand for American produce continues to grow, but agricultural worker's
earnings and working conditions are either stagnant or in decline.
Studies have shown that improving wages and conditions will actually
increase productivity.
"Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your
fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the
harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts" (Jas. 5:4,
NRSV).
Taco Bell reported earnings of more than $5 billion in
1999, while Tricon, Taco Bell's parent corporation, earned over $22
billion last year.
" . . . they have grown fat and sleek. They know
no limits in deeds of wickedness; they do not judge with justice the
cause of the orphan, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the
rights of the needy" (Jer. 5:28, NRSV).
Taco Bell could double the picking rate, which would
result in a living wage for the farm workers, by agreeing to pay one
penny more per pound for the tomatoes it buys from Six Ls. If this total
cost were passed on to the consumer, it would be less than one-fourth of
one cent more for a Chalupa.
"Better is a little with righteousness than large
income with injustice" (Prov. 16:8, NRSV).
The Coalition for Immokalee Workers has been
continually thwarted in all attempts to be treated as human beings with
certain basic rights to dignity and respect. They cry out for justice
and have been greeted with a wall of silence from the growers.
Therefore, they are turning to the consumers to support this boycott
until such time as the parties involved agree to negotiate.
"How does God's love abide in anyone who has the
world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses
help?" (1John 3:17, NRSV).
The request to boycott comes from the farm workers
themselves. They are aware that the boycotts could initially hurt them
due to layoffs from reduction of work. In the long run, it is the only
effective tool to bring the growers to the negotiating table.
"O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice
for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike
terror no more" (Ps. 10:17-18, NRSV).
This is the opportunity to make the dream of unity
into reality. It is in the struggle together for justice that we can
experience the sense of community, the sense of being a people who are
for life, and a people of faith, hope, and love. We are not required to
judge right and wrong. As the church, we are required to let the spirit
of God work through us.
"How long will you judge unjustly and show
partiality to the wicked?" (Ps. 82:2, NRSV).
As Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, "We
do not boycott to put anyone out of business. We are boycotting to put
justice into business."
Click
here to see the same overture on the official PC(USA) web site.
