New York City Council Calls on Wendy’s to Join the Fair Food Program and Support Farmworkers’ Human Rights

The New York City Council this week resoundingly passed a resolution demanding Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program, a groundbreaking initiative that guarantees the rights of farmworkers on farms under its protection. The FFP has won high praise for its unique effectiveness, including a Presidential Medal for its “extraordinary efforts” in fighting forced labor, and is widely recognized as the “gold standard” for protecting farmworkers against sexual harassment, assault, wage theft, and inhumane living conditions.

The resolution, introduced by Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor Carmen De La Rosa, highlights the Program’s unparalleled success in ensuring farmworkers are provided basic protections and fundamental human rights, and denounces the fact that Wendy’s is the only major fast food chain in the U.S. to refuse to join the Program. The resolution comes at a time of increased national attention to worker exploitation within corporate supply chains, from child labor to systemic forced labor within agriculture. The New York City Council resolution will deepen scrutiny of Wendy’s and bolster the growing call for the hamburger giant to bring its network of supply farms under the Fair Food Program’s best-in-class protections.

“The workforce that supplies the food we eat should not have to endure abuse in exchange for pennies that they depend on to feed their own families. If large corporations are going to operate in our city, they must do so sustainably. New York City has a globally influential economy, and we have opportunities here as leaders to create a more socially-just economy,” said Civil Service and Labor Chair, Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “The workers who care for us on a daily basis deserve sustainable wages and humane working conditions. That’s why we are passing Resolution 131 to call on Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program and support farmworkers’ human rights.” Read more here!