MIAMI -- Rush-hour commuters using Biscayne Boulevard to get into downtown Miami Wednesday morning were greeted by a group of protesters.

Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and their supporters rallied outside a Burger King located on the boulevard at 17th Street.

The group gathered on the sidewalk in front of the fast-food burger chain in response to a two-year dispute between BK and the CIW -- an organization that represents tomato pickers in Immokalee, Fla.

"The farm workers have been paid the same wages for the past 20 years and that's only 40 to 45 cents per bucket of tomatoes," said CIW member Lucas Benitez.

Benitez, who use to work as a tomato picker, said the workers need to pick 2,000 tomatoes a day just to take home $50.

The CIW decided to hold Wednesday morning's rally, which is the first of two scheduled, after the organization claimed attempts to get BK to agree to new standards of fair treatment for their farm workers continued to fail.

"We planned this because this (Biscayne Boulevard) is one of the main streets in Miami and we want to pass out fliers and educate the people about the problem," said Benitez.

But Burger King isn't the problem, according to vice president of food safety, quality assurance and regulatory compliance Steven Grover, who spoke to Local10's Alex Alvarez by phone.

Grover said the CIW is misleading people into believing BK employs the group of Florida tomato pickers alleging mistreatment -- which it does not.

"The CIW basically wants us (BK) to write a check and we don't feel that doing so will solve the problems they're talking about," said Grover from Burger King's headquarters based in Miami.

Burger King's stance on the tomato picking predicament is supported by the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, an agricultural cooperative of Florida tomato growers.

The FTGL issued a news release encouraging its members to decline participation in labor deals due to legal concerns.

"After receiving multiple legal opinions expressing alarm about the much-publicized deals that involve our industry’s workers, our legal counsel recommends that our members not participate in them," said Reggie Brown, executive vice president, Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.

"Involvement in such a potentially unlawful sales enterprise with unaffiliated third parties is not an option for any American farmer and should not be an option for restaurant and retail companies," Brown added.

According to the FTGL, Florida tomato growers operate as socially accountable farm employers as they participate in comprehensive programs that certify employment, health, housing and safety practices.

"The industry is strongly committed to supporting long-term, comprehensive solutions that improve the lives of all farm workers," Brown said.

According to payroll records required by the government from the current 2006-2007 season, Florida tomato harvesters’ rates ranged from $10.50 to $14.86, with an average wage of $12.46 per hour.

The harvesters earn more than double the current federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour and nearly double Florida’s minimum wage of $6.67 per hour.

The farm workers harvest tomatoes an average of 25 to 30 hours per week in addition to other tasks on the farm.

According to Grover, the Immokalee tomato pickers supply about 30 percent of BK's tomato supply, which also come from several other states, including California and Arizona.

And while BK has been reluctant to give the CIW any money, Grover said the company has a strict vendor code of conduct and would dismiss any tomato vendor who violated that code.

"I have repeatedly asked the CIW to provide the names of growers who are violating these laws, and I've never been given a name," said Grover.

"I am willing to go with federal officials to investigate if any violations are being made by the tomato growers and if we found any in violation, which we have not, I would immediately remove them from our list," he added.

Both BK and the CIW say they welcome talks with the other, but so far none have been planned.

Check out a slideshow of the Biscayne Boulevard Burger King protest by clicking on the images link above.

For more information on the CIW's position on the matter,CLICK HERE.