The Coalition of Immokalee Workers formed a dozen years ago to help increase the wages of the farmworkers, who earn as little as US$0.40 for every 14.5kg bucket of tomatoes picked, according to the group.
In the late 1990s, the coalition began investigating slavery cases in which farmworkers were beaten and held against their will by labor contractors.
A coalition member, Romeo Ramirez, went undercover to help authorities build a case, taking a job with labor contractors suspected of illegally detaining workers.
The coalition has helped investigate five slavery cases that have gone to trial and currently is in the middle of investigating three new cases in central and north Florida; coalition leaders won't provide details because the cases are ongoing.
The coalition turned its attention to Taco Bell in 2001 because of the large amounts of tomatoes bought by the chain and YUM! Brands. The coalition justified a boycott by arguing that the company leveraged its buying power to demand lower prices from tomato suppliers.
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