Board made balanced decision

On behalf of the Associated Students of UCLA Board of Directors,
we would like to take this opportunity to address the campus
community regarding the decision to end our franchising agreement
with Taco Bell. As many students may already know, the Social
Justice Alliance and other student groups asked that ASUCLA not
renew its contract with Taco Bell in September of 2003.

In their request, students referred to serious allegations of
indentured servitude, human trafficking, inhumane working
conditions and poverty wages for the tomato pickers in Florida.

When ASUCLA met with Taco Bell at its December 2003, May and
September 2004 board meetings, public relations representatives and
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Jonathan Blum offered a mix
of responses. What all claimed consistently, however, was that they
share no part in the responsibility for the conditions of these
workers, despite the fact that many of the allegations stem from
farmers working under suppliers of the United Foodservice
Purchasing Cooperative, a co-op created exclusively for Taco Bell
and other Yum! Brands companies.

In the year-long debate preceding the vote, the board questioned
what ASUCLA’s role in this dispute should be and whether Taco
Bell is indeed capable of creating change in the fields. The
board’s opinions differed greatly.

Despite the diversity of opinions, the board’s decision
came down to a question of balancing our fiduciary and social
responsibilities. The board felt there was enough evidence pointing
to inhumane working conditions in the Florida region from which
Taco Bell obtains its tomatoes.

Students on the board felt strongly that continuing a business
relationship with a company whose representatives not only showed a
lack of respect for our desire to create change, but also failed to
acknowledge responsibility for the conditions of these workers and
did not live up to the agreements they had previously made with the
board, added greatly to our case against Taco Bell.

Yet the board’s concern over the allegations and lack of
corporate responsibility was never isolated from our concerns over
the impact on students and the greater campus community. For
example, the board made sure none of the employees at Campus Corner
would lose their jobs; instead, they will be relocated to the
numerous eateries around campus.

The board is committed to serving as an agent of change in this
process and believes an institution such as ours has the power to
impact others. At the same time, we have no reservations about
bringing Taco Bell back to campus provided it takes the necessary
steps to become an agent for change as well.

The board takes its financial and social responsibilities very
seriously, but it never makes a final decision without thorough
consultation with ASUCLA management, UCLA students, faculty and
staff.

Martinez and Ngai are both board members of ASUCLA. Martinez
is the chair of the Services Committee. Ngai is the chair of the
Finance Committee.