Burger King
Burger King, based in Miami, Florida, USA, is the world's second largest hamburger chain (behind McDonald's). The company has "more than 11,200 restaurants in all 50 states and 69 countries and U.S. territories worldwide," according to its website. [1] Started in 1954, Burger King is owned in part by the investment firms TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs, each owning about 25% of the company. [2]
Contents
No raise for tomato pickers
"[F]or the past two years, Burger King has stood firm and said no" to a demand from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) that the company pay a penny more per pound for its tomatoes. "[T]hat would double [tomato pickers'] wages and cost BK $250,000 a year," reported NPR's Marketplace in January 2008. [3]
"Just after Thanksgiving [2007], the Florida tomato pickers held a large rally outside Burger King headquarters in Miami. Now it's surfaced that three weeks later, BK sent a note to suppliers saying it may no longer buy tomatoes from southwestern Florida," reported Marketplace. [3]
In March 2008, CIW announced plans to launch "a high-profile, multi-faceted national campaign and the threat of a boycott designed to persuade Burger King to pay a penny more a pound for tomatoes and 'eliminate slavery and human rights abuses from Florida’s fields,'" reported the Ft. Myers News-Press. [4]
CIW previously used similar grassroots pressure tactics to get Taco Bell / Yum! Brands to agree to the penny-a-pound increase in 2005, and McDonald's in 2007. Burger King's refusal to do the same has prompted "Senate labor committee member Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to call for Senate hearings on farm conditions, tentatively scheduled for next month [April 2008]." [4]
Public relations and lobbying
Burger King Corporation retains the major public relations firm Edelman. [5]
Its lobbyists include Khalil G. "Karl" Saliba, of the firm Saliba Action Strategies. Burger King vice-president Craig S. Prusher is also a registered lobbyist for the company. [6]
Political contributions
Burger King gave $17,000 to federal candidates in the 2006 election through its political action committee - 9% to Democrats and 91% to Republicans. [7]
Personnel
| Key executives and 2006 pay: [8] | Options exercised |
|||
| John W. Chidsey, Chief Executive Officer | $7,950,000 | $0 | ||
| Russ Klein, President of Global Marketing Strategy and Innovation | $1,990,000 | $2,110,000 | ||
| Anne Chwat, Secretary and General Counsel | $1,770,000 | $752,000 | ||
| Peter C. Smith, Chief Human Resources Officer | $2,320,000 | $1,880,000 |
Selected Burger King board members
From their October 2007 financial report: [9]
- Brian Thomas Swette, Chairman of the Board, Former Chief Operating Officer of eBay
- Andrew B. Balson, Also Director, Bain Capital, Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Brands
- David A. Brandon, Also Chairman and CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Director of The TJX Companies
- Ronald M. Dykes, Former Chief Financial Officer for BellSouth Corporation (now part of AT&T)
- Peter Raemin Formanek, Also Director, The Sports Authority, Co-Founder of AutoZone
- Adrian Jones, Also Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
- Kneeland C. Youngblood, Also Director, Starwood Hotels and Resorts
Other personnel
- Keva Silversmith, director of external communications [4]
Contact details
5505 Blue Lagoon Drive
Miami, FL 33126
Phone: 305-378-3000
Fax: 305-378-7262
Web: http://www.burgerking.com
SourceWatch resources
External links
References
- ↑ "Domestic and global facts," Burger King website, accessed April 9, 2008.
- ↑ Burger King Profile, Hoovers, accessed October 2007.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Dan Grech, "A cent too far for Burger King: Burger King's two-year battle with Florida tomato pickers over a penny-per-pound raise is coming to a head with the news that BK has begun planning to buy tomatoes elsewhere," Marketplace, January 16, 2008.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 Amy Bennett Williams, "Immokalee workers raise stakes; May boycott fast-food chain in try to raise tomato prices" Ft. Myers News-Press (Florida), March 5, 2008.
- ↑ "Edelman," PR Firms Database, O'Dwyer's PR, accessed April 9, 2008.
- ↑ "Burger King Corporation," profile, Lobbyists.info (sub req'd), accessed April 9, 2008.
- ↑ 2006 PAC Summary Data, Open Secrets, accessed October 2007.
- ↑ Burger King Key Executives, Yahoo Finance, accessed October 2007.
- ↑ Board of Directors, Burger King, accessed October 2007.
