In New York City, about a hundred people rallied as the Coalition of Immokalee Workers announced a national boycott of fast-food giant Wendy’s. The Florida farmworkers said they are launching the boycott because Wendy’s has refused for years to join the Fair Food Program, which the Immokalee workers established to protect farmworkers’ rights. Other fast-food giants, including Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Burger King, have already signed on to the program after pressure. Farmworker and organizer Lupe Gonzalo explained the New York City rally was targeting billionaire Nelson Peltz, who is a major investor in Wendy’s.

Lupe Gonzalo: “We are asking for one cent more for every pound of tomatoes they buy from the farms where we are working the harvest. Also we are demanding that there be a code of conduct that protects the rights of the workers, so that we can report abuses and have solutions to them. We’re also asking for intolerance to sexual abuse and to modern-day slavery, which are two of the most extreme cases. As women, we have faced sexual abuse. Right now, we are focusing on Nelson Peltz. Basically, he is a very big investor in Wendy’s, and he has a lot to do with what happens at Wendy’s.”

Nelson Peltz is chair of Wendy’s board.