New Year message from a CIW member...

1/1/09: The headline says it all, so without further ado, here is a message from a CIW member to the readers of our website following a remarkably tumultous year in the Campaign for Fair Food (the excerpt below is in Spanish, click on the link to see the complete text and its translation):

Carta de Año Nuevo:

En esta temporada del Año Nuevo en la que el país celebra con familia y amigos y todos expresan sus deseos para el futuro, los trabajadores de Immokalee queremos tomar esta oportunidad para compartir los nuestros también..." Click here to see the rest of the letter and its translation

Media round-up...

12/29/08: Between Governor Crist's continued silence on farmworker slavery and the holidays, a number of great stories on the Campaign for Fair Food slipped through the cracks. Here's a round-up of some of the stories we missed over a busy past couple of weeks:

• "Shameful exploitation," Bill Maxwell, St. Petersburg Times (12/14/08):

"... Written in 1938, when U.S. farmworkers were mostly black and racism was more blatant, the Fair Labor Standards Act excluded field hands. Our current labor laws, with remnants of our old racism, still leave farm workers unprotected. They do not have the right to bargain collectively, they have no legal guarantee of overtime pay and they can be fired at the whim of the boss...." read more

• "This has incredible importance for our movement," Democracy Now
  (12/10/08)
  
  
• "Their energy brings change to Tampa Bay area," St. Petersburg Times (12/21/08)
  
  
• "Agriculture spokesman thinks a little bit of slavery isn't a big deal," Miami New Times (12/19/08):

"... McElroy says he was misrepresented, but the guy is a professional spokesman. You should know the power of your words, it's what you get paid for..." read more

• "Justice in the tomato fields," AFL-CIO blog (12/8/08)

'Twas the Night before Christmas...

12/24/08: ... And not even in this season of good will could Governor Crist find it in his heart to break his silence on the scourge of slavery in his state.

His stubborn silence leaves us speechless...

And so we leave you with this excellent review of all the recent news from Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, "In the trenches and fighting slavery" (12/12//08). Happy holidays.

Worker to Judge: "Bosses should not beat up the people who work with them"... In the midst of a growing uproar over Tallahassee's controversial statements on slavery in Florida, Friday's sentencing in the Navarrete case (pictured here, from the left, are farm bosses Geovanni and Cesar Navarrete) provided a horrifying reminder of the raw brutality of forced labor and the enduring shame of an agricultural industry seemingly addicted to exploitation...

12/20/08: Four Immokalee family members were sentenced yesterday for "enslaving and brutalizing migrant workers" ("Family sentenced for slavery," Ft. Myers News-Press, 12/20/08). The case cast a terrifying new light on the recent debate over the significance of farm labor slavery in Florida, a debate that was sparked when the spokesperson for Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services -- speaking on behalf of Governor Charlie Crist -- appeared to downplay the importance of seven major slavery prosecutions out of Florida's fields in the past decade. The following is an extended excerpt from the News-Press report:

"One of the prosecutors, Susan French, called Cesar Navarrete the family’s 'young patriarch.' Geovanni Navarrete was 'the enforcer, the beater.' 'This defendant is the one who chained the worker’s feet to the pole,' French said of Geovanni, 'the one who beat them, slapped them … multiple victims, multiple acts of violence, multiple injuries to the victims.' One of the victims, Mariano Lucas Diego, spoke of what he’d endured: beatings and nighttime imprisonment in a truck, where the family’s captives would have to urinate and defecate in the corners. Diego described pounding on the truck until he and another victim made a hole through which they squeezed out, then found a ladder so the others could escape. Diego spoke of several beatings. 'Bosses should not beat up the people who work with them,' he told Judge John E. Steele. As Diego spoke, Geovanni Navarrete watched, shaking his head, a slight smile curling his upper lip." Read the rest of the article here

In an important new twist, the News-Press article also identified the farms that employed the Navarrete crew:

"The Navarretes took their crews to work on farms owned by some of the state’s major tomato producers: Immokalee-based Six L’s and Pacific Tomato Growers in Palmetto. Both tomato growers are part of the Socially Accountable Farm Employers (SAFE) program, designed to prevent labor abuses."

The News-Press ran a powerful editorial accompanying the report on the sentencing ("Little bit of slavery not acceptable," 12/20/08) that connected the violent Navarrete operation to the recent comments by Terence McElroy of the Department of Agriculture. The editorial recalled McElroy's words:

"Of course, I say any instance is too many, and any legitimate grower certainly does not engage in that activity (slavery), but you're talking about maybe a case a year."

Then responded with the following:

"To tolerate or to excuse even one instance of slavery in our community is to turn a blind eye to a scourge that Americans rejected nearly 150 years ago..."

The editorial went on to unequivocally condemn Governor Crist's continuing silence on the human rights crisis in Florida's fields, and concluded with a call to action:

"... Crist has avoided commenting on this issue so far, and he has missed an opportunity to show leadership.

He should accept the invitation to go to Immokalee, to check out the fields, to meet with workers and growers, and to publicly condemn slavery in our state."

There is much, much more to come in this developing story. Stay tuned...

VERY LATEST: Incredibly, McElroy does it again...

12/19/08: Given an opportunity to explain his earlier, explosive comments downplaying the significance of modern-day slavery in Florida, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesperson Terence McElroy chose to dig himself -- and Governor Crist, whom he represents -- an even deeper hole. Here's what he wrote in an email to a reporter from the Ft. Myers News-Press when asked for his response to the groundswell of criticism of his earlier comments:

"... “To a question (about) whether this was a common or accepted practice, I said that it certainly was not — and, in fact, is quite a rarity when a case pops up." (emphasis added)

You can see the latest article, "Ag spokesperson McElroy's statements spur buzz," by clicking here.

"quite a rarity... " Really? We invite Mr. McElroy to join us in a short thought experiment.

Imagine that, ten years ago, a violent slavery ring is uncovered within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Hundreds of state workers are discovered being systematically beaten, sexually assaulted, and forced to work at the point of a gun for no pay by a supervisor employed by the department. When the ringleaders are prosecuted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, what would you say, Mr. McElroy, to the press? How would you characterize the suffering of the victims?

The following year, another case is discovered in your department. And the following year another case is discovered. And the following year another case is discovered. And the following year another case is discovered. And the following year another case is discovered.

In the course of 10 years, a total of well over 1,000 workers in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have been liberated from bosses who regularly beat them, forced them to work, and stole their pay. More than a dozen bosses are behind bars. And by any honest estimate, the cases and workers discovered in servitude represent only the tip of the iceberg.

When yet another case is discovered in your department, would you stand before the press and say that this seventh case of slavery is "quite a rarity"?

It's hard to believe -- no, impossible to believe -- that you would.

Given that very safe assumption, what we would like to know is: What, in your mind, is the difference between the human rights of the workers in your department and the rights of the workers who harvest our crops in the fields? Are the workers in the fields somehow less human? We'll leave that question open for reflection.

And one final thing: The slavery cases you refer to have in fact taken place on the farms of some of this state's most "legitimate growers," to use your words, including the former head of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. Look it up.

What they're saying about the McElroy statement:

Open letter to Governor Charlie Crist, signed by more than 70 human rights, religious, student, labor, and community organizations and leaders from across Florida and across the nation: "When those who have the responsibility to ensure freedom from slavery, one of the grossest violations of human rights, instead tolerate its existence, people of conscience must speak out..." Read the letter in its entirety, and see the signatories -- including authors Frances Moore Lappe and Eric Schlosser, and organizations from the Florida AFL-CIO to the national Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- by clicking here

Also:

President Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: "... Slavery persists when government leaders fail to take the necessary action to prevent it. Taking preventive action is a human rights obligation of local, state and national governments... I support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and others in urging Governor Crist to take immediate steps to combat modern-day slavery in Florida agriculture." See President Robinson's full statement here

Larry Cox, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA: "There should be no mixed messages about slavery... This incident should serve as a wake-up call: if Florida is serious about eradicating slavery, its officials must be unequivocal in affirming that not a single instance of it will be tolerated..." See Mr. Cox's statement in its entirety here

Lynn Delaney, Executive Director, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights: "The statement reflects a disturbing disregard for the rights of victims of such abusive and inhumane practices. That federal agents are still finding slavery- rings to prosecute in Florida, over one hundred forty years since the 13th Amendment banned the practice, represents a failure to protect these victims’ most fundamental liberties for both the State of Florida and its agricultural industry." See Ms. Delaney's statement in its entirety here

Florida ACLU: "Instances of worker abuse that rise to the level of human slavery are shockingly prevalent in Florida... It should be no surprise that Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, claims that reports of slavery in Florida tomato fields are 'false and defamatory' and says 'unequivocally' that 'growers abhor and condemn slavery' -- despite the recent case in which there was evidence documenting that slave crew leaders' pay 'came from growers'... To diminish the problem of slavery hinders the hope for its end, in Florida and elsewhere. Thoughtful and decisive action by our public officials is needed to protect the thousands who are locked-up, hidden away, unremunerated, and exploited by a system that disregards the most basic of human rights..." See the full letter to Agricultural Commissioner Bronson here

The Rev. Noelle Damico, National Coordinator of the PC(USA) Campaign for Fair Food: "The implication that some modern-day slavery is tolerable is not only morally offensive it actually encourages those who are currently engaging in these horrific practices to continue. It further exhibits a gross disregard for the extreme suffering and incredible courage of farmworkers who labor in and struggle against these brutal circumstances..." See Rev. Damico's complete statement here

Coalition of Immokalee Workers: "... It is incumbent on Governor Crist to clarify -- now -- whether he shares Mr. McElroy's perspective that one case of modern-day slavery a year represents a manageable level of exploitation.  We are sure that his answer will be of particular interest to those farm bosses currently holding workers against their will -- those bosses whose operations are active case files on law enforcement authorities' desks today.

But words alone are no longer enough.  Any condemnation of the exploitation of our state's farmworkers from Tallahassee, if it is to be anything more than political damage control, must be coupled with action.  Governor Crist can begin by demanding that the Florida Tomato Growers' Exchange end its efforts to nullify the agreements reached between the CIW and the leading fast-food buyers of Florida tomatoes to improve farmworker wages and working conditions." Read the CIW statement in its entirety by clicking here

Miami, FL, 12/2/08: Gerardo Reyes (seated, right) of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Jan Risi (also seated), President and CEO of Subway's Miami-based purchasing arm, the Independent Purchasing Cooperative, commemorate the signing of the CIW's newest agreement with a fast-food industry leader to improve wages and working conditions in Florida's tomato fields.

SUBWAY SIGNS!...

December 2, 2008: Subway, the third largest fast-food chain in the world and the biggest fast-food buyer of Florida tomatoes, reached an agreement today with the CIW to help improve wages and working conditions for the workers who pick their tomatoes.

Click here to see what they're saying about the Subway agreement.