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BK: 2 employees fired over online remarks

MIAMI Burger King Corp. said today said it has fired two employees less than a week after it vowed it would take “appropriate disciplinary action” following the investigation of an executive's unauthorized online comments that bashed a farm workers' advocacy group.

While Burger King officials did not disclose who was fired, the company last week confirmed that comments posted on various public websites were traced to Steve Grover, the chain's vice president of food safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance. At the time Burger King said it would conduct an investigation into the online comments, which reportedly attacked the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an advocacy group currently at odds with the chain. The comments were made under names other than Grover's.

Reached Tuesday evening at his home, Grover told Nation's Restaurant News that "I'm still with them at the moment," and declined further comment.

Burger King said in a statement Tuesday that the comments criticizing the CIW did not reflect its views and were in violation of company policy and its code of business ethics and conduct.

John Chidsey, BK's chief executive, said in the statement: “I was distressed to learn of the allegations. Neither I nor any of my senior management team were aware of or condone the unauthorized activities in question. BKC maintains a strict code of conduct for our employees and vendors and we will not tolerate unethical or unlawful behavior.”

Two weeks ago, a report in The News-Press of Fort Meyers, Fla., linked Grover to the online attacks on the CIW. It also traced critical e-mails to Grover. The CIW called the online remarks “a series of anonymous and defamatory comments.”

The News-Press reported that Grover had used the screen name of his daughter, Shannon, to post at least some of the comments, and that she had confirmed her father’s responsibility.

The CIW is the activist group trying to get Burger King to join McDonald’s and Yum! Brands’ chains in paying an extra penny a pound for tomatoes in Florida. The CIW maintains that the additional payment would be used to improve the wages and living conditions of tomato pickers. Burger King has refused to join McDonald’s and Yum in agreeing to the charge, citing concerns about the legality of paying wages to people who don’t work for the company.

After the News-Press story appeared, Burger King indicated that it may review its purchasing agreements as a “first step” toward resolving the issue. The company's statement today indicated that the burger chain might soon meet with the CIW.

“BKC is looking forward to meeting with the CIW as soon as possible and is committed to finding practical, tangible ways to help ensure decent wages and working conditions for all the tomato harvesters in Immokalee,” Burger King officials said in the statement.

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