Board weighs ethics, popularity in Taco Bell debate

The ongoing debate over Taco Bell’s future on the UCLA
campus has been one of the most thoughtful and intense discussions
in recent Associated Students of UCLA history. Students, faculty
and staff have dedicated substantial time and effort to ensure that
every decision made is in the best interest of everyone
involved.

In light of this, it is important for students to understand
several key factors influencing the board’s discussion on the
matter. In September of 2003, students from the Social Justice
Alliance approached the ASUCLA Services Committee with allegations
against Taco Bell’s tomato suppliers.

In their report, students referred to investigations of farm
worker slavery, human trafficking and other deplorable conditions.
Needless to say, the committee took these allegations and
supporting documentation seriously and decided to pursue the matter
as an issue of social responsibility.

ASUCLA has always had a commitment to ethical and socially
responsible business practices. In the late “˜80s, students at
UCLA demanded that Coca Cola products be removed because the
company played a role in the South African apartheid.

In more recent years, ASUCLA adopted a code of conduct governing
the production of apparel bearing the UCLA name, allowed the
unionization and wage increases of food service workers, and began
to offer a brand of coffee that ensures a premium to its
growers.

In all these instances, ASUCLA was attentive to the demands of
students.

It is no surprise then that the campus community expects the
association to take decisive action on an issue as important as
Taco Bell. Any issue involving serious allegations should invoke
the attention and careful consideration that ASUCLA has given it.
At the same time, however, members of the board must weigh other
equally vital factors, such as the interests of students and
financial impact.

ASUCLA is an association devoted to meeting the needs of
students. In accomplishing this central mission, we refrain from
acting without considering all of the possible consequences to the
campus community.

Taco Bell is by far one of the most popular eateries on campus.
Its popularity can be measured by the large number of students who
frequent it on a daily basis and its generous financial
contribution to the association. Students rely on their low-cost
products during a time marked by dramatic rises in student
fees.

Conversely, the preponderance of support against keeping Taco
Bell cannot be ignored. Last year, students submitted petitions
with over a thousand signatures asking the board to terminate its
contract. Over 23 student organizations, as well as the
Undergraduate Students Association Council, signed on to a
resolution condemning Taco Bell’s role in the exploitation of
farm workers.

The board has received letters from both former president Jimmy
Carter and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation asking the board to
remove Taco Bell from campus. Just last week, the Daily Bruin once
again published an editorial opposing any renewal of a
contract.

In its October 2004 meeting, the Services Committee once again
recommended the non-renewal of its franchising agreement with Taco
Bell. This recommendation is in light of a series of discussions
involving the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Taco Bell
representatives and students. Students must understand that this is
solely a recommendation and by no means constitutes any type of
final decision.

The board fully understands the importance of the issue at hand.
The question we often ask ourselves is what we can do to make a
positive impact on the lives of Florida farm workers. However, the
other question we ask ourselves ““ which is just as important
““ is whether the final decision is true to our commitment to
affordable and convenient student services.

Make no mistake that whatever the board decides at its Oct. 29
meeting, it will weigh all these issues and come up with the best
possible solution. I urge students, faculty and staff to contact me
or any member of the board with any questions or comments you may
have.

Martinez is chair of the Services Committee and
undergraduate representative on the ASUCLA board of
directors.