Burger King, under growing pressure, agrees to partner with CIW to improve farmworker wages and working conditions

• Monumental victory in Campaign for Fair Food as Burger King - world's second-largest hamburger chain - joins Yum & McDonald's in working to end exploitation in Florida's fields

• Campaign surges forward with Subway, Chipotle, Whole Foods and others in sights

Update: May 28, 2008 - Don't miss the exclusive photo report from the historic press conference & signing ceremony + SFA press release and BK campaign highlights here.

May 23, 2008 - Today on Capitol Hill, the CIW and Burger King announced a landmark agreement to work together to improve the wages and working conditions of Florida tomato pickers. After a year of escalating pressure by the CIW and its allies, Burger King has agreed to:

• Pay an additional net penny per pound to the Florida farm workers who harvest its tomatoes, encouraging grower participation by also paying payroll taxes and administrative costs incurred by the growers as a result of farmworkers' increased wages, amounting to a total 1.5 cents extra paid by Burger King per pound of tomatoes;

• Join other fast-food industry leaders and the CIW in calling for an industry-wide net penny-per-pound surcharge to increase wages for all Florida tomato harvesters;

• Together with the CIW, establish zero tolerance guidelines for certain unlawful activities that require immediate termination of any grower from Burger King's supply chain. The BK/CIW collaboration provides for farmworker participation in the monitoring of growers' compliance with the company's vendor code of conduct.

Lucas Benitez, CIW, and Amy Wagner, Senior Vice President, Burger King, sign agreement at US Capitol on Friday, May 23 as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) looks on.

In a complete about-face from previous statements and the recent controversy that embroiled the company, Burger King has finally acknowledged the reality of farmworker poverty, exploitation and human rights abuses, leaving the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange completely isolated in its bullheaded denial of this reality and defense of the status quo.

In the words of BK CEO John Chidsey,

"The CIW has been at the forefront of efforts to improve farm labor conditions, exposing abuses and driving socially responsible purchasing and work practices in the Florida tomato fields. We apologize for any negative statements about the CIW or its motives previously attributed to BKC or its employees and now realize that those statements were wrong."

As in the Taco Bell and McDonald's victories, student and youth organizing was decisive in this victory - from the "kingdoom" days of action to the March on BK Headquarters to the National Petition Drive - with BK stooping to new lows to combat that organizing.

Now, the Campaign - indeed, the Movement - for Fair Food continues, as we demand that other major purchasers of tomatoes who have profited from farmworker exploitation for too long, such as Subway and Wal-Mart, do the right thing.

And we renew our calls to Chipotle and Whole Foods to live up to their own proclaimed visions of "integrity" and "sustainability" by also taking the necessary steps to put an end, once and for all, to the human rights crisis in our nation's fields.

Following this victory, we look forward to the quickly-approaching 2008 Student/Farmworker Alliance Encuentro, set to take place in Immokalee September 18-21, where dozens of fair food activists from across the US will gather for an intense weekend of skill-building and strategizing around the campaign. Click here today for more information and to apply to attend the Encuentro!

From the McDonald's victory celebration in downtown Chicago just over one year ago, to the campuses and streets of Miami, New York, Lawrence, the Rio Grande Valley, Los Angeles, Seattle, DC, and points in between, one cry repeated millions of times by thousands of voices finally rings true more than ever today: "¡ya cayó! ¡ya cayó! ¡el rey ya cayó!"

And as the CIW declared at today's press conference at the Capitol,

"to all of you who have marched with us, organized petition drives with us, prayed with us, and struggled with us, today is a day to celebrate this hard-fought victory. Tomorrow, with renewed energy and purpose, we begin our work again to make respect for fundamental human rights in Florida's tomato fields truly universal."

Stay tuned for more information and news on this developing victory and for more on where we go from here, including a possible upcoming ride on the Subway...