Alecia Foster
Armed with picket signs, a handful of high school and college students
descended on Taco Bell Wednesday afternoon to protest the poor conditions
of farmers. The protest was in support of the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers, who pick tomatoes for a company that sells the produce to the
fast food chain. The students said the farm workers are mainly immigrants
who are paid low wages, given no health benefits or overtime pay. Laurie
Gannon, a spokeswoman for Taco Bell, said it was the company's policy to
"not get involved in other company's labor disputes." Taco Bell purchases
its tomatoes through a broker and has no control over pricing or wages,
she said.
The students, some from Crescenta Valley High and Glendale Community
College, said the protest was part of a nationwide effort to draw
attention to the workers' plight. A protest at Taco Bell's headquarters
will take place in September.
