“A mere penny a pound can ensure a fair wage”


By the Rev. Brant Copeland
Tallahassee Democrat
8/30/11

I’m a big fan of my local Publix supermarkets. When our boys were little, they always managed to steer the shopping cart to the bakery section, where a free cookie awaited them. I’ve served on the boards of several nonprofit agencies through the years, and I’ve seen how generous Publix employees and managers can be. I used to pick up food for homeless people from the boxes provided at local Publix stores. From my perspective, Publix has been a model corporate citizen.

Also impressive is Publix’s commitment to offer fair trade coffee. As the label on Publix-brand coffee reads, “Fair trade is only fair.”

Having seen how generous and just Publix can be, I can’t understand why corporate headquarters is refusing to support the efforts of farmworkers to secure a mere extra penny per pound for the tomatoes they pick and Publix buys. Even more baffling is the refusal of Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw even to sit down with farmworkers and discuss their Campaign for Fair Food.

For many years, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been working with Florida growers to adopt a code of conduct that ensures increased wages and workplace protections that have never before existed for agricultural workers. Last year, 90 percent of Florida’s tomato growers signed the code agreement.

Under the code, Florida’s 30,000 farmworkers will have mandatory access to shade and water, the right to report abuses without retaliation, a clock-in system to guarantee minimum-wage payment for hours worked, the right to form health and safety committees in the fields, and the promise of zero tolerance for forced labor and sexual harassment.

It took years to achieve this agreement with tomato farmers, but, as Publix says, “Fair is only fair.”

Even with these advances, wages for farmworkers have remained stagnant for decades. According to the Department of Labor, poverty among farmworkers is more than double that of all wage earners and salaried employees. Annual income is in the $10,000-$12,500 range for physically demanding and dangerous work. In order to improve the lot of farmworkers, everyone in the supply chain, from growers to consumers, needs to step up.

The coalition has gotten commitments from major players in the fast-food industry (Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King) and the food-service industry (Aramark, Sodexho). But among grocery chains, only Whole Foods has signed on.

That’s where Publix comes in.

With revenues last year of $25.3 billion, not only is Publix the largest company in Florida, it’s among the largest buyers of tomatoes for resale.

For that reason, the farmworkers are asking Publix to be a leader in this effort — by committing to buy only from farms that comply with the new industry code while moving purchases away from farms that violate it, and also by passing along to those who harvest tomatoes a mere penny per pound.

Just as I’m happy to pay more for fairly traded coffee, as a Publix customer, I’d be more than happy to pay an extra penny per pound for the tomatoes I buy at Publix, knowing that my neighbors in the fields would benefit.

My question is, “Why fair trade coffee, but not fair trade food?”

When I wrote Mr. Crenshaw about this, he responded by saying that Publix pays the “fair market price” for tomatoes. That’s what buyers used to say about coffee, too. The fact is, there are two market prices: the penny-per-pound extra to raise wages or the “fair market price” that keeps harvesters in poverty. I’m no economist, but I think Mr. Crenshaw’s response is less than forthright.

As Labor Day approaches, several delegates from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers will be traveling more than 200 miles by bicycle to Publix corporate headquarters in Lakeland to extend a personal invitation to Mr. Crenshaw to visit Immokalee so that he can learn firsthand about the Campaign for Fair Food.

I’m praying Mr. Crenshaw will accept the invitation. As Publix founder George Jenkins famously advised, “Don’t let making a profit get in the way of doing the right thing.”

The official Publix guarantee is, “We will never knowingly disappoint you.” Here’s one loyal Publix customer who’s not only disappointed but also baffled by Publix’s refusal to sit down and talk in good faith. The Publix I know can do better.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brant S. Copeland is pastor of First Presbyterian Church.