And Now What?

— Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello

This month, a first for Labor Notes: A video on the music page. To watch, scroll down and click the screen.

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As we reported last month, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) just announced an agreement with McDonald's to improve wages and conditions for farmworkers supplying tomatoes to restaurants. McDonald's suppliers will increase the piece rate, establish worker participation, and allow third parties to monitor field conditions and investigate workers' claims.

This marks the second major victory for CIW in their campaign to improve the livelihood of farmworkers. In 2005, CIW won a similar victory against Taco Bell's parent company, Yum Brands.

CIW member Lucas Benitez said:

Today, with McDonald's, we have taken another major step toward a world where we as farmworkers can enjoy a fair wage and humane working conditions in exchange for the hard and essential work we do every day. We are not there yet, but we are getting there, and today's agreement should send a strong message to the rest of the restaurant and supermarket industry that it is now time to stand behind the food they sell from the field to the table.

The CIW will now set its sites on Burger King, who rejected a CIW partnership offer in February and instead suggested CIW members should consider getting jobs at Burger King restaurants.

The CIW campaign relied not only on their own organizing work, but also the organizing of student allies across the country through the Student Farmworker Alliance and widespread community support. At the time of the announcement, the CIW and the SFA were in the midst of the McDonald's Truth Tour 2007 and were visiting communities around the country to build support for the campaign.

CIW originally planned to host a massive convergence in Chicago on April 14. But it turned into a victory celebration. CIW members got together with 2000 of their closest friends for a "Concert for Fair Food."

Speakers and performers included the Hot 8 Brass Band, John Sweeney, Yvonne Strafford, Student/Farmworker Alliance, Jose Oliva, JamOne, Las Krudas, Carolina Gaete, Domingo Jacinto, Mathieu Beaucicot, Gerardo Reyes, and Lucas Benitez.

Headlining the evening were Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha, formerly of Rage Against The Machine. The band broke up in 2000 and this was their first time together since then. The reunion was highly touted in the music media. Morello began with a set from his solo act as The Nightwatchman. De La Rocha joined him onstage for the "And Now What? duet. De la Rocha wrote it especially for the occasion. They ended with a set of Rage standards.

Morello said later:

It was very exciting for everybody in the room, myself included. I mean, the place was just packed to the rafters and even the stage was packed with this ring of 25 photographers two feet away from us while we were playing, so it was kind of a trippy, you know, way to do our first show. But it was a great cause and we were happy to be a part of the Immokalee farmworkers.

Morello is a member of the AFM Local 47.

Sources: Media Mouse: Grand Rapids Independent Media, Labor Notes, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Truth Tour.

The Nightwatchman || Zack de la Rocha Network.

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Fast connection only.

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Music Archives

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	June 2007 Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello And Now What? Zack de la Rocha Poster: Ahmed Resistol
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	April 2007 Ry Cooder Strike! Traditional, new verses by Ry Cooder Drawing: Vincent Valdez
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	February 2007 Detroit Cultural Workers and Artists Caucus Walking 500 Days by Bob Vasseur Photos: Pat Beck, Daymon Hartley
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	November 2005 Davis Gloff, Michael Carluccio, Larry Schrock Radio, Guns, and Money by Steve Jones Poster: W. DeLappe, Holly Syrrakos
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	September 2002 Joe Glazer The Mill Was Made Of Marble / I Ain't No Stranger Now by Joe Glazer

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Songs not otherwise attributed were recorded at the annual Great Labor Arts Exchange in 2001, 2003, 2004, or 2005 at the National Labor College/George Meany Center, Silver Spring, Maryland. Engineers: Bob Barnes, Ellis Boal, Charlie Ray Fetty III, Joe Jencks, Ray Korona, George Mann, Dave Sless, Isaac Wilson.

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