March 1, 2005

The Cleveland-based United Church of Christ will welcome more than 100 Florida farm workers and student allies to the UCC's national offices on Thursday, March 3, when the "2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour" rolls into town.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) will hold a teach-in at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday at the UCC's Church House (700 Prospect Ave. in downtown Cleveland) before leading a "colorful, peaceful protest march and rally" at 5:30 p.m. at a nearby Taco Bell, according to Edith Rasell, the UCC's minister for labor relations and community economic development.

The Cleveland stop is part of a 13-city educational tour, originating on Feb. 28 in Immokalee, Fla., where participants hope to "spread the truth about the exploitation behind Taco Bell's products," Rasell said.

The tour will culminate on March 12 in Louisville, Ky., – the corporate home of Yum Brands, Taco Bell's parent company – where a day-long demonstration and prayer vigil will be held. According to Rasell, thousands of activists, including actor Martin Sheen, will call on Yum Brands "to take responsibility for the sweatshop conditions prevalent in its suppliers' fields."

"The UCC believes that God calls us to work for justice and to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized," Rasell said. "In living out this call, members of the UCC have for many years stood in solidarity with farm workers, the people who put food on our tables but too often cannot afford to feed themselves."

Rasell said Florida's tomato pickers are paid just one-third of what they received 25 years ago and "face harsh conditions and indignities in the fields."

The CIW was formed to improve farm workers' working conditions, but after initial local efforts were unsuccessful, CIW called for a national boycott of Taco Bell, a firm that buys many Immokalee-grown tomatoes.

In 2001, the UCC's General Synod was the first national church body to endorse the boycott. Since that time, other religious bodies have joined with the UCC, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, American Friends Service Committee, Alliance of Baptists and National Council of Churches of Christ, among others.

"The UCC is committed to stand with these workers, our sisters and brothers in Christ, in their struggle for fair pay, improved working conditions and dignity on the job," Rasell said.

The UCC has 1.3-million members in nearly 6,000 congregations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. It was formed in 1957 with the union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.

United Church News