Wendy's
The fast food chain Wendy’s, which specializes in “classic American food,” has experienced its fair share of controversies. From serving food rich in trans fat, a type of fat that damages cardiovascular health, to releasing false information about the greenhouses in which their farmworkers harvest, Wendy’s has been at the center of the media’s attention during the past few years for poor reasons. Although they claim ethical practices, Wendy’s relies on the labor of Black and Latino farmworkers who experience unsafe working conditions, environments where sexual assault is prevolent, and a ring of poverty almost impossible to escape. Many of the workers for fast food chains such as Wendy’s have been classified as victims of modern-day enslavement due to their extreme circumstances. For around 7 years, laborers and activists have been fighting along with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in order to persuade Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program, an organization with a “unique partnership among farmers, farmworkers, and retail food companies that ensures humane wages and working conditions for the workers who pick fruits and vegetables on participating farms” (https://www.fairfoodprogram.org/). Through the Fair Food Program, farmworkers nationwide would be given more agency, freedom to make their own decisions, and the power to stand up for themselves and their families. Many other fast food restaurants have already partnered with the Fair Food Program, companies such as Taco Bell, McDonalds, Subway, and Burger King, and Wendy’s remains one of the only main fast food chains not involved with this initiative. Although collaborating with the Fair Food Program wouldn't fix all of the labor reform issues associated with Wendy’s, there’s no doubt that it would offer more protection to the farmworkers generating the produce needed to maintain this billion-dollar company.
Alternatives
Are you looking for hamburgers and chicken sandwiches not produced by Wendy's? Check out these other options:
Photos
“Why Wendy’s Is Facing Campus Protests (It’s about the Tomatoes) (Published 2019).” The New York Times, 2022, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/07/business/economy/wendys-farm-workers-tomatoes.html.
“Why Boycott Wendy’s? Ask Women Farmworkers.” OpenDemocracy, 2018, www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/why-boycott-wendy-s-ask-women-farmworkers/.
“Students Declare Nationwide Boycott of Wendy’s over Farmworker Concerns.” Facing South, Facing South, 23 Mar. 2015, www.facingsouth.org/2015/03/students-declare-nationwide-boycott-of-wendys-over.html.
“Why Boycott Wendy’s? Ask Women Farmworkers.” OpenDemocracy, 2018, www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/why-boycott-wendy-s-ask-women-farmworkers/.
“Students Declare Nationwide Boycott of Wendy’s over Farmworker Concerns.” Facing South, Facing South, 23 Mar. 2015, www.facingsouth.org/2015/03/students-declare-nationwide-boycott-of-wendys-over.html.
Call to Action
While researching Wendy’s, I received most of the information from “Boycott Wendy’s!” an organization devoted to taking action on Wendy’s human right violations; I have provided the link to the website below. Finally, making your voice heard can be facilitated by engaging with petitions; the following link is a Change.org petition demanding that Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program and protect the lives of thousands of tomato harvesters: https://www.change.org/p/wendy-s-we-re-boycotting-you-until-you-support-human-rights-for-farmworkers-boycottwendys
Sources
https://ciw-online.org/blog/author/ciw. “SAVE the DATE! 2021 Boycott Wendy’s Tour: ‘Essential Rights for Essential Workers.’” Coalition of Immokalee Workers, 26 July 2021, https://ciw-online.org/blog/2021/07/save-the-date-2021-boycott-wendys-tour-essential-rights-for-essential-workers/
Why. “BOYCOTT WENDY’S.” BOYCOTT WENDY’S, 2014, http://www.boycott-wendys.org/why-boycott-wendys
Business. “USA: CIW Calls on Delivery Companies to Drop Wendy’s until It Joins the Fair Food Program; Incl. Company Response - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.” Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2022, https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/coalition-of-immokalee-workers-calls-on-delivery-companies-to-drop-wendys-until-it-joins-the-fair-food-program/
Why. “BOYCOTT WENDY’S.” BOYCOTT WENDY’S, 2014, http://www.boycott-wendys.org/why-boycott-wendys
Business. “USA: CIW Calls on Delivery Companies to Drop Wendy’s until It Joins the Fair Food Program; Incl. Company Response - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.” Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2022, https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/coalition-of-immokalee-workers-calls-on-delivery-companies-to-drop-wendys-until-it-joins-the-fair-food-program/