Yesterday, in the early afternoon, members of the New York City Council – representing over eight million residents of the vibrant Big Apple – gathered in historic City Hall in Downtown Manhattan.  In an overwhelming show of support, nearly 90% of the City Council adopted Resolution 131 calling on Wendy’s – and specifically, New York-based Trian Partners and Wendy’s Board Chairman Nelson Peltz — to support farmworkers’ human rights by joining the Fair Food Program.  Four full years after the resolution was first introduced by then-Councilmembers Brad Lander (now Comptroller of New York) and Mark Levine (now Manhattan Borough President), Councilwoman Carmen de la Rosa, the Chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee, celebrated the resolution’s long-awaited passage with the CIW’s Lupe Gonzalo as well as allies from across the city.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all of those who made yesterday’s major victory in the national Wendy’s Boycott possible, especially Councilmember De La Rosa, Comptroller Lander, and Borough President Mark Levine.

In the days ahead, we will share more details, press coverage, and analysis of this exciting news out of New York!  For today, we bring you the inspiring words of Councilmember De La Rosa as she introduced the resolution in committee, and this morning’s hot-off-the-presses release about the resolution, which you can find in the full post on CIW's site.  Stay tuned for more soon!

Opening Statement of Chair De La Rosa

Committee on Civil Service and Labor
Res.131-2022 (De La Rosa)

April 11th, 2023 @ 9:00am

Good morning, welcome to today’s vote of the Civil Service and Labor Committee. I am Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of the Committee. Today we are voting on the following resolution:

131-2022: Calling on Wendy’s fast-food chain to join the Fair Food Program and support farmworkers’ human rights.

Since January of 2013, farmworkers, led by the Coalition for Immokalee Workers, have publicly called upon Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program (FFP) to help secure safe working conditions and higher wages for United States agricultural workers. The Fair Food Program requires Participating Buyers to agree to purchase covered farm produce, from Participating Growers. These Participating Growers meet strict standards required by the Fair Food Code of Conduct, which was designed by farmworkers themselves and is independently monitored by the Fair Food Standards Council. The standards include the following requirements: the right to work free from sexual harassment and assault; safe and non-abusive working conditions including shade, water, and clean bathrooms in the fields; the ability to report mistreatment or unsafe conditions without retaliation; know-your-rights trainings; access to breaks and safe transportation to work. In addition to these labor standards, Participating Buyers pay Participating Growers a small premium for the purchased produce, known as the “Fair Food Premium,” which goes to supplement farmworkers’ paychecks.

Of the five largest fast-food corporations in the United States – McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s – only Wendy’s has refused to participate in the Fair Food Program.  This resolution is a statement that the New York City Council urges Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program to respect the dignity of farmworkers in its supply chain. This resolution will educate consumers about farm labor exploitation and forge an alliance between farmworkers and lawmakers to help end that exploitation. 

I’d like to thank committee staff for their hard work in preparing for this vote. Policy Analyst Elizabeth Arzt, as well as my staff, Chief of Staff James Burke, Legislative Director Kiana Diaz, and Communications Director Fraynette Familia. 

Coalition of Immokalee Workers
110 S 2nd St
Immokalee, FL 34142
United States

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