January 25, 2010
SAVE THE DATES!:
CIW announces "Farmworker Freedom March," Tampa to Lakeland, Florida, April 16-18, 2010!
March to call for: "Freedom from forced labor; Freedom from abuse; Freedom from poverty and degradation"
Mobile "Modern-day Slavery Museum" to tour state in lead-up to Freedom March...
Earlier this month, President Obama declared January, 2010, "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month," saying:
"Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation." |
Join us this spring for an intensive campaign of education and action to end modern-day slavery in Florida's fields.
Details:
Farmworker Freedom March
* Three-day march of farmworkers and allies
* April 16-18, from Tampa to Lakeland (home of Publix)
* Route details and logistics to be announced soonModern-day Slavery Museum
* A mobile educational vehicle in the form of a box-truck outfitted as a replica of the trucks involved in the latest slavery prosecution and accompanied by educational displays on modern-day slavery in Florida, its roots, its causes, and its solutions.For more information on either the march and the mobile museum, or to arrange for a museum visit to your community, you can contact us at workers@ciw-online.org
Background:
The fight to end modern-day slavery has been gaining important ground in recent months. Ten months ago, Florida Governor Charlie Crist wrote these words in an open letter to the CIW, after the Governor and his representatives met in Tallahassee with CIW members and victims of modern-day slavery cases:
"I have no tolerance for slavery in any form, and I am committed to eliminating this injustice anywhere in Florida. I unconditionally support the humane and civilized treatment of all employees, including those who work in the Florida agricultural industry. Any type of abuse in the workplace is unacceptable. I support the Coalition's Campaign for Fair Food, whereby corporate purchasers of tomatoes have agreed to contribute monies for the benefit of the tomato field workers. I commend these purchasers for their participation..." |
Three months ago, the Collier County Sheriff's Department joined with the CIW in organizing "A Day without Slavery," a community event "aimed at providing seasonal farm workers and members of the Immokalee community with information about human trafficking and ways to identify victims of human trafficking." Speaking of the Immokalee farmworker community, Detective Charlie Frost told the Naples Daily News ("Immokalee event geared toward raising awareness of human trafficking," Naples Daily News, 11/14/09):
“They are our eyes and ears out here,” Frost said. “They’re the ones that will be able to alert us to these trafficking type of situations. It’s important that they know they have rights as victims.” |
And this month, President Obama declared January 2010 "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month". The proclamation states, in part:
"The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom -- an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln's actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade...
... The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men and women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human dignity and freedom. Victims can be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far from home and vulnerable. Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor exploitation, human trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service through force, threats, and fear. All too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that there might be a place of refuge...
... Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation."
You can read the proclamation in its entirety here. Its words reflect the fierce urgency of the fight to end this most violent form of exploitation.
The movement to end modern-day slavery is not an issue of partisan politics, and it's definitely not a labor dispute. It is a movement to defend one of our most fundamental human rights, and the CIW has been at the forefront of that movement for many years.
Yet when we asked Publix to adopt the principles of the Campaign for Fair Food -- principles, including a zero tolerance policy for slavery, designed to eliminate forced labor and its causes -- Florida's largest supermarket chain turned its back.
Instead, Publix continued to purchase tomatoes from the very farms tainted by the latest slavery prosecution. When asked why, Publix spokesperson Dwaine Stevens told the St. Augustine Record:
"... the chain does purchase tomatoes from the two farms but pays a fair market price." ("Farmworkers protest supermarket tomatoes," 11/24/09)
But there is no "fair market price" for slavery, and there will be no end to modern-day slavery until companies like Publix stop turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in their suppliers' fields.
Help us send a message that Publix cannot ignore. Join us this spring for the Farmworker Freedom March, for a march you -- and Publix -- will never forget.
Check back soon for more information on all the action this spring!
January 15, 2010
Love among the ruins
The extent of destruction and loss in Haiti is only now coming into focus, and its true measure will not be known for months, maybe years, to come.
But as we have learned from so many tragedies past, these are the times when the very best of human nature -- our capacity for love and all that love makes possible -- rises in defiance of the horror.
The face of love is present in the picture on the right -- love in the eyes and smile of two-year old Redjeson Claude for his mother, whom he is seeing for the first time after being trapped alone for two days in the rubble, love on the faces of the emergency personnel and neighbors who risked their own lives to search for survivors. You can see a powerful four-photo gallery of his rescue on the Huffington Post Haiti news page (you will have to scroll down the page to find the gallery, as the news page is being updated throughout the day).
Love is also present in communities across the globe, far from Haiti, where millions of people have rallied to donate dearly-needed emergency supplies and funds to Haiti.
Despite the inconceivably harsh and inhumane statements by some of this country's loudest political voices discouraging their followers from donating to the rescue and rebuilding efforts (click here, and here, if you are interested to see just how sickeningly small some "leaders" can be), all reports seem to indicate that the world has come together to help Haiti weather this devastating blow.
Even one of this country's poorest communities -- the farmworker community of Immokalee -- is doing its part. Enlisting our low-power radio station, Radio Conciencia, in the cause, CIW members have launched a donation drive. We will join others doing the same here in Immokalee in sending all that we collect to Haiti through the Red Cross this coming Monday (in the photo above, CIW members erect a sign outside the CIW headquarters in Immokalee publicizing the donation drive).
The response has been overwhelming. Seeing farmworkers -- who are themselves suffering unemployment and economic crisis due to two weeks of freezing temperatures that destroyed crops across south Florida -- stream into the office with water, clothes, and canned food is nothing short of inspiring.
If you haven't done so already, please let Immokalee's efforts inspire you, too, to donate today to Haiti's recovery. If you are interested in donating to the relief efforts, Zanmi Lasante (or "Partners in Health" by its English name, the superb community-based health organization led by our friend and fellow RFK Human Rights Award laureate Loune Vlaud) is a place where you can rest assured that your donation will be put to good and effective use. Click here if you would like to make a donation.
Thank you.
January 9, 2010
Capitol Hill update, Part II...
US Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R - FL) congratulates CIW on news of Fair Food tomatoes in House restaurants!
Here's the quote, from the Miami Herald Blog, "Naked Politics" (1/7/10):
"... Diaz-Balart, whose district includes Immokalee, saluted the ag workers, saying their work 'is critical to Florida’s agriculture industry and I am pleased it is being recognized in the Capitol.'"
We appreciate Congressman Diaz-Balart's kind words and hope our paths continue to cross in the future!
January 7, 2010
New year brings new visit from Senator Sanders to Immokalee!
There's no better way to begin a new year than to get together with old friends, and that's just what happened yesterday at the CIW headquarters in Immokalee.
US Senator Bernie Sanders is one of the CIW's staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, and has done much to advance the cause of Fair Food. His visit to Immokalee yesterday provided a great opportunity to bring the Senator up to date on the latest developments in the Campaign for Fair Food and discuss ways in which he could continue to provide support from Washington.
While the nation's health care and financial issues have understandably taken priority over the past several months, it was clear from yesterday's visit that Sen. Sanders has never stopped thinking about the urgent need to improve farmworker wages and working conditions in Florida. Sen. Sanders arrived in the afternoon and graciously stayed through the evening to participate in the CIW's regular weekly community meeting (in the picture above, the Senator addresses CIW members at the start of the meeting in a wide-ranging discussion that touched on farm labor, health, and immigrant issues).
For those who might be unfamiliar with his history with the Campaign for Fair Food, here below is an excellent short video on the 2008 Senate hearings on farm labor exploitation in Florida organized in large part by Sen. Sanders:
We look forward to working closely with Senator Sanders in the year ahead as we continue breaking new ground in the Campaign for Fair Food.
January 5, 2010
President Obama declares January "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month"...
Newly launched "Fair Food Project" (right) takes it one step further and invites you to help make the change!
In a proclamation signed yesterday, January 4th, 2010, President Obama declared January "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month". The proclamation states, in part:
"The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom -- an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln's actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade...
... The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men and women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human dignity and freedom. Victims can be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far from home and vulnerable. Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor exploitation, human trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service through force, threats, and fear. All too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that there might be a place of refuge...
... Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation."
You can read the proclamation in its entirety here. The president's words should serve as a powerful rejoinder to those -- from the bottom to the top of this nation's trillion-dollar food industry -- who would deny or ignore the continuing scourge of slavery in our fields. And it should remind us all of the fierce urgency of the fight to end this most violent form of exploitation.
And about that fight... A new project has appeared on the battlefield, the "Fair Food Project." Here's how its creators describe their approach:
The Project
“Fair Food: Field to Table” is a multimedia presentation promoting a more socially just food system in the U.S. It was created by California Institute for Rural Studies and Rick Nahmias Photography.
Through the stories and voices of farmworkers, growers, businesses and fair food advocates, viewers learn about the harsh realities of farmworker conditions and, more importantly, the promise of improved farm labor practices in American agriculture. The growing movement for “fair food” is tapping into rising consumer demand for food produced in accordance with their values."
The heart of the project is a three-part series of short videos -- divided into the themes "The Farmworkers," "The Farmers," and "The Advocates" -- that is intended to be used to spark discussion and action across the country though showings on campuses, in places of worship, and in community gatherings. The series is a must-see, and can be viewed on the Fair Food Project site or on YouTube. Here below is the first part in the series, "The Farmworkers" (which, by the way, includes extended interviews with two CIW representatives and footage of the CIW watermelon harvesting coop!). Enjoy, and help spread it around:
December 28, 2009
A season of hope...
Holidays perfect time for a news round-up with a theme of hope for the new year!
A dozen years ago -- shortly before Christmas, 1997 -- a small group of farmworkers in Immokalee began a 30-day hunger strike that would forever transform the struggle for justice in this country's fields. Their excruciating month-long fast cast an unblinking light on the cruel reality facing tomato pickers -- slipping sub-poverty wages, rampant wage theft, and even violent modern-day slavery rings. But more than that, it also exposed the Florida tomato industry’s deeply-rooted, unregenerate resistance to dialogue with farmworkers and to improving farm labor wages and conditions.
In short, the CIW's month-long hunger strike made the case for the Campaign for Fair Food that was to come, for the urgent need for intervention by the multi-billion dollar corporations that purchase Florida tomatoes to demand more modern, more humane conditions in the fields where their tomatoes are grown and picked.
Over the next twelve years, the Campaign for Fair Food grew into a national movement, and the Florida tomato industry continued its stubborn resistance to progress. Even after workers in Immokalee reached landmark agreements with the world's two largest fast-food corporations -- Yum Brands and McDonald's -- to help fund long-needed changes in Florida's tomato fields, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange threatened to fine any tomato grower willing to pass on the additional funds to improve their workers' wages. Yet the Campaign for Fair Food persevered, patiently building a critical mass of food industry leaders pledged to use their power as major tomato buyers to demand that Florida tomato growers help end poverty and abuses in the fields.
And this year, as the direct result of the collaboration of farmworkers and consumers through the Campaign for Fair Food, true transformation has begun: Three Florida tomato growers are now working with the CIW to implement the Fair Food agreements, including a substantial wage increase, a real voice for farmworkers, and a code of conduct for fair conditions in the fields.
Here below are three stories from the end of this year that capture this pivotal moment in the Campaign from different perspectives. If you have a moment, take a look at the stories and, as you do, savor the fact that these changes can be traced -- day by day, battle by battle -- back to the small, storefront office in Immokalee where six workers took on the trillion-dollar food industry by refusing to eat until their demand for justice was heard:
- "East Coast Brokers partners with farmworker labor group," The Packer (12/04/09)
“... ' Although it was probably not the most popular decision, it was a decision we chose to make for our workers and for our partners in business,' Madonia said. 'If there’s a way I can give them (the workers) a better standard of living, they can have a better life and if this doesn’t adversely affect my business at all, there’s no way I could not let this happen.'
Madonia, who this fall resigned his longtime membership with the Maitland-based Florida Tomato Exchange, said industry reaction to his move was mixed.
'I just felt like it’s more important to give my workers a better standard of living instead of the benefit that my company gets by being part of that group,' he said.
Madonia said he hopes his peers respect his decision.
He said many of them have told him off the record that they support his agreement with the CIW."
- "25 gifts making a tough 2009 a bit better for Tampa Bay area," St. Petersburg Times (12/24/09)
... 23. Hard-fought successes by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to secure better pay for Florida tomato pickers....
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"You say tomato," Roll Call (subscriber only online, 12/14/09)
You Say Tomato
Dec. 14, 2009 By Byron C. Tau
Roll Call StaffThe vendor responsible for operating the House [US House of Representatives] restaurants and cafeterias has made a big change in the way it conducts business.
Restaurant Associates is participating in a new purchasing arrangement of tomatoes from Florida. Compass Group, Restaurant Associates’ parent company, announced last week that it will pay an additional 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes purchased annually, with 1 cent per pound going directly to the harvesters.
“We are proud to offer a responsible menu item like fair wage tomatoes for our dining service operations,” Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard said in a statement. “We are pleased to set an example for responsible dining choices for the staff and our visitors.”
According to CAO spokesman Jeff Ventura, the initiative came from Compass Group rather than from the House administration. “We support it, but it’s something that they’re doing,” he said.
Rick Stone, Compass Group vice president for corporate social responsibility, said the company was spurred to action by a visit from activists at the Student/Farmworker Alliance.
“The back story is quite simple,” Stone said. “Ninety-five percent of the tomatoes grown in the winter months come out of Florida. The labor to harvest the tomatoes is — for the most part — immigrant workers. Because of that situation, and the need for these workers ... it sets an environment that is ripe for abuse.”
Stone added that tomato prices have increased in recent years, but wages paid to agricultural laborers have not. “The supply chain has clearly been squeezed at the bottom,” he said. Further, according to Stone, cases of outright slavery have even been discovered and prosecuted in Florida.
Still, Stone insists that customers in the House cafeterias will not see any price increases, saying that Compass Group was willing to “absorb the cost” of the new ethical purchasing agreement.
December 18, 2009
"The Value of Nothing"
New book by Raj Patel (author of "Stuffed and Starved") highlights Campaign for Fair Food!
Message is food for thought for Publix...
The author of "Stuffed and Starved," Raj Patel, has a new book coming out in a couple of weeks entitled "The Value of Nothing." The phrase comes from a quotation by Oscar Wilde:
"Nowadays, people know the price of every thing and the value of nothing."
In an excellent promotional video for the book (embedded below), Patel asks:
"It seems like every aspect of our lives is touched by this philosophy of prices and free markets, but isn't there a better way to value our world?"
The book's message is truly food for thought for our friends at Publix. The fundamental premise of "The Value of Nothing" is that the market tends to fail, often miserably, at assigning prices that reflect the true value of the goods we consume today. In particular, the market often overlooks the high social costs behind many of the products at the heart of our every day lives -- obesity and diabetes behind cheap fast food, environmental degradation behind gas-guzzling SUV's, slavery behind the tomatoes we eat.
Nowhere is that disconnect between price and social costs clearer than in the case of Publix and its Florida tomato suppliers. Most readers of this site will remember that, when asked why it continues to purchase tomatoes from farms where enslaved workers were discovered to be picking in the latest modern-day slavery prosecution, Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens told the St. Augustine Record:
"... the chain does purchase tomatoes from the two farms but pays a fair market price." ("Farmworkers protest supermarket tomatoes," 11/24/09)
What, exactly, is the "fair market price" for slavery? How in the world does a modern corporate giant like Publix turn its back on the brutal exploitation of the workers in its suppliers' operations -- right in its own backyard -- and get away with it?
Take a moment, if you can, to watch the video on "The Value of Nothing." The book, which has received high praise from reviewers including Michael Pollan and Naomi Klein, deals in part with the Campaign for Fair Food, where "pickers in Florida have won the right to be treated as human beings and not slaves." Unfortunately, that victory is clearly still incomplete, thanks to companies like Publix who, rather than supporting Florida's more ethical tomato growers and the CIW in forging a more humane agricultural industry, stubbornly continue to prop up the brutal and dehumanizing status quo in Florida agriculture today.
"The Value of Nothing" will be in bookstores soon, and should be a great read.
December 14, 2009
News Round-up...
When we can't keep up with everything happening in the Campaign for Fair Food, it's time for a round-up!
The Campaign for Fair Food has been very busy as the holiday season approaches, visiting Stop & Shop (one of several US brands owned by Dutch supermarket giant Ahold) at its corporate headquarters in Boston, Giant (another Ahold brand) at its headquarters in Landover, foodservice titan Aramark at its corporate headquarters in Philadelphia (pictured above right), and, of course, Florida-based Publix throughout the southeast.
And in Immokalee, we hosted an exchange with 30 members of Baltimore's own United Workers Association, famous for their great work winning a living wage for the workers who maintain the Baltimore Orioles' beautiful Camden Yards stadium.
Click here to continue reading the Campaign for Fair Foods News Round-up!...
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Stop & Shop: A delegation of Fair Food activists, the New England Delegation for Farmworker Justice, paid a visit to Stop & Shop's corporate headquarters last week in Boston, MA. The Boston Herald covered the visit in a piece entitled, "Farmworkers eye Stop & Shop" (Dec. 13, 2009). Here's an excerpt:
It was following up on a letter sent to the grocery chain a month earlier that’s so far garnered no response, according to Camilo Viveiros, the group’s coordinator and executive director of Rhode Island Jobs with Justice. 'It’s a simple request that they give farm workers a penny-a-pound raise and build a relationship where they would monitor the conditions in the field,' Viveiros said... ... Stop & Shop spokeswoman Faith Weiner said the chain shares CIW’s concerns and will give its letter 'thoughtful and careful' consideration. 'We will reiterate to our suppliers our expectations and our commitment that (parent company) Ahold source tomatoes in a socially responsible manner, as we believe we currently do,' Weiner said. 'We also will continue to monitor the situation.'" |
"A group calling itself the New England Delegation for Farm Worker Justice demonstrated outside Stop & Shop’s Quincy headquarters Friday to put pressure on the company and raise public awareness.Aramark: Before heading south from Baltimore to Immokalee for a two-day exchange (see below), a joint CIW/UWA delegation took a quick detour to Philadelphia, where they were joined by Philly allies for a lively rally and delegation visit to Aramark headquarters. Marina Saenz-Luna of Just Harvest USA sent this firsthand report:
The delegation included: Brandon Jones - United Workers, Marina Saenz-Luna - Just Harvest USA, Gerardo Reyes-Chavez - CIW, Julian Phillips - St. Joseph's University, Ron Blount - Unified Taxi Workers Alliance, Manuel Gonzalez- Radio Tlacuache, and Milena Velis - Media Mobilizing Project. We delivered 139 petitions, 131 individual letters from St. Joseph's, and the most recent Alliance for Fair Food letter to an Aramark employee." |
"About 60 people came out to Aramark HQ.Check out the great gallery of pics from the Aramark event, courtesy of community photographer extraordinaire, JJ Tiziou.
Giant: The CIW/UWA group also stopped in Landover, Maryland, at the corporate headquarters of the Giant supermarket chain. Check out the Student/Farmworker Alliance website for a report on the delegation visit (the SFA report does double duty as a great summary of the UWA Solidarity Tour, which you'll find described on the SFA site in the UWA's own words).
Publix: Of course, Publix didn't escape the pressure during the past week. After a quick stop and protest at a Publix on the road to Florida in South Carolina, the UWA crew arrived in Immokalee for two days of dialogue between CIW and UWA members on approaches to organizing and campaign strategies, last stop on the Solidarity Tour.
It was a great exchange between two organizations with deep community roots and powerful visions of a better future for some of this country's worst-paid, least-protected workers. The visit ended with a Publix protest, and the Naples Daily News was there to cover it ("Farmworkers go public in North Naples with a protest against Publix," 12/11/09). Here's an excerpt:
'Publix always says that it supports families, but in reality they aren’t doing it. They are neglecting to help farmworkers,' said Perez, 35, holding a sign that read: 'End the Poverty.'... ... Other supporters included about 30 visitors from United Workers, an organization of low-wage earners fighting for human rights in Baltimore, Md., and members of Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church in Collier County. Among supporters was Jackie Vanden Dorpel, 74, who has been shopping at Publix since 1950. The Bonita Springs resident and Vanderbilt Presbyterian member said she hopes Publix realizes that all of the big corporations are dealing directly with the coalition. “I think they can act like a corporation with integrity,” Vanden Dorpel said. Among Publix shoppers Friday was Ida Phelps, of North Naples, who said she supports the coalition’s cause. “I think it’s taken awhile. These people work as hard as I do,” said Phelps, 53, who is a security officer. |
"Silvia Perez, a coalition staff member and Immokalee farmworker for 16 years, said in Spanish that it wasn’t a labor dispute.Read the Daily News article in its entirety here, and while you're there, be sure to check out the video from the action!
December 5, 2009
Here it is, your 11th hour call to action to join us tomorrow for the big "Walk for Farmworker Justice" in Lakeland!
Courtesy of Robyn Blumner, St. Petersburg Times (from an online op/ed to appear in tomorrow's paper entitled, "Hey, Publix, pony up a penny per pound"):
"... Publix has taken a 'talk to the hand' approach. Corporate spokeswoman Shannon Patten says that the company won't get involved in 'a labor dispute between the farmworker and farmer.' Even after it was reported that two of the farms Publix has bought tomatoes from, Pacific Tomato Growers and Six L's, used bosses who were convicted of enslaving farmworkers from Mexico and Guatemala — holding them captive and brutalizing them — Publix does little more than shrug. Patten says 'nobody's in favor of slavery,' as if this absolves the company of its duty to reject suppliers who employ shockingly abusive labor tactics. Publix uses its collective buying power to negotiate low tomato prices with growers but refuses to unleash some of that corporate might to help workers who toil day after day in the withering Florida sun for the same per-bucket wage their parents earned. When Patten says 'we are a caring company' she must mean that it cares about profits, not people. |
The piece ends:
Today [Sunday], the Coalition of Immokalee Workers will hold a protest at a Publix supermarket in Lakeland, near Publix corporate headquarters. Similar protests have been held recently at Publix supermarkets around the state. Farmworkers and their supporters hold signs that say "Exploitation: It's What's for Dinner" and other clever slogans. Who knows if this will persuade the corporate suits. What I do know is I often pay $1.50 or more for a pound of tomatoes at Publix. Another penny isn't a big deal to me. I doubt it means much to Publix. But to some of the nation's lowest paid workers, that penny can change their lives. |
Read the op/ed in its entirety here. And click here to see how you can join us tomorrow in Lakeland.
December 4, 2009
All the pieces are coming together for Sunday's big "Walk for Farmworker Justice"!...
Two Kennedys, two eras of human rights leadership, set to join CIW for biggest Publix protest of the year!
Mr. Kennedy has devoted his life to combating poverty, exploitation, and racism in his home state of Florida. Over the course of his long and storied career, Mr. Kennedy risked his life to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, toured farm labor and turpentine camps with author Zora Neale Hurston as director of field research for the WPA Writers Projects (recording stories of slavery and brutal exploitation, which he shared with the House Labor Committee and the UN Commission on Forced Labor), and collected an unparalleled library of Florida folklore. For a taste of the rich culture and history of Florida's working people he helped preserve, we've provided a few links here below (you really should do yourself a favor and take a minute to listen!): * "Big boy can't you move 'em" |
Ms. Kennedy's "life has been devoted to the vindication of equal justice, to the promotion and protection of basic rights, and to the preservation of the rule of law. She established the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights in 1988 and she has worked on diverse human rights issues such as children’s rights, child labor, disappearances, indigenous land rights, judicial independence, freedom of expression, ethnic violence, impunity, and the environment... ... She has led over 40 human rights delegations across the globe. At a time of diminished idealism and growing cynicism about public service, her life and lectures are testaments to the commitment to the basic values of human rights." |
CIW members have spent the past week painting signs, organizing into committees to handle march logistics, and nailing down the final details for the biggest Publix protest of the year... |
"... Another point of contention is the fact that Publix sells tomatoes from Six Ls and Pacific Tomato Growers, two Southwest Florida farms where captives held by a slavery ring federally prosecuted in December were taken to work. Publix guidelines says: "Suppliers' actions must be ethical and honest, as well as comply with laws, rules and regulations." Slavery is a federal crime. Asked why Publix buys from companies where slavery occurred, Patten wrote: "Publix is not involved in the labor dispute between these groups. Whatever the groups negotiate, Publix will continue to pay whatever the market rate is for Florida tomatoes." You can read the whole article here. See you Sunday in Lakeland! |
December 2, 2009
 |
Jose Soto, a University of Florida gradate student, argues in favor of the Student Senate resolution calling on Aramark to work with the CIW to improve wages and working conditions in Florida's tomato fields. The resolution passed 57-19. |
Aramark, Sodexo under fire on campuses from Florida to Colorado!
Student government resolutions call on foodservice providers to work with CIW for Fair Food!...
The past month has been a whirlwind not only for workers in Immokalee but also for their student allies across the country who are spearheading the "Dine with Dignity" campaign. Here are some of the highlights:
- Last night, after a weeks-long campus debate, the Student Senate at Washington University in St. Louis passed a resolution calling on Aramark to follow the lead of the students' other foodservice provider, Bon Appetit, and enter into an agreement with the CIW.
- On November 20, the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board -- which represents students from UC Denver, Metro State, and the Community College of Denver -- passed a resolution calling on Sodexo to enter into an agreement with the CIW.
- And on October 27, the University of Florida Student Senate passed a resolution calling on Aramark to enter into an agreement with the CIW. Here's an excerpt from the Gainesville Sun article, "Student Senate passes resolution supporting farm workers" (10/27/09):
“We have an option tonight to boldly say to Aramark that UF wants to be the starting point to this change and fight for justice,” said Dave Schneider, former senator and primary author of the resolution. About 20 students and alumni came to show their support for the resolution, asking the Senate to vote yes. During a five-minute presentation, resolution supporter Jose Soto noted that a penny is worth almost nothing monetarily while a pound of tomatoes is about 28 slices. “You represent me,” Soto said about the wage increase. “Don’t denigrate my dignity by valuing it lower than 1/28 of a slice of tomato.” |
And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Click here for the rest of the campus round-up!
December 1, 2009
CIW, Verite announce partnership to implement, monitor Fair Food agreements with participating growers this season!
Verite "promotes and monitors fair labor practices across the globe," work includes efforts to address forced labor on West African cocoa plantations...
Gerardo Reyes of the CIW on the partnership:
“These developments are truly unprecedented. Through the Campaign for Fair Food, we are moving, step by step, toward a more modern, more humane tomato industry in Florida. And together with Verite, we are working this season to develop and test the standards and procedures that will ensure that those changes are real and measurable.
Change of this magnitude is never easy, but we -- the CIW, the participating growers, and our retail food partners -- are determined, as the saying goes, 'to make the road by walking' and it is good to have someone with us like Verite, who has been down this road before."
See the full press release here.
It's just around the corner!
Walk for Farmworker Justice
Sunday Dec. 6
Gather, starting at 2:30 pm, for picket at 2515 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland (Southgate Plaza Publix)
Followed by 2.2 miles march down Florida Ave. to Kryger Park,
100-198 S. Massachusetts Ave., for a rally/candlelight vigil.
And click here to see the press release for the December 6th event. Here's an excerpt:
“Publix says it ‘won’t get involved in a labor dispute,’ but I want to make one thing perfectly clear: there is no labor dispute," explained Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. "In fact, it’s never been easier to support Fair Food. We are now working closely with several growers who are willing to meet the higher standards called for by our agreements, all Publix has to do is buy from those growers under the same terms as all the other food industry leaders that have come to support our campaign.” Earlier this year, the Ft. Myers News-Press reported that farmworkers enslaved in a forced labor ring prosecuted in December 2008 were taken to work on two southwest Florida farms that supply tomatoes to Publix. Just last week, Publix confirmed that it continues to buy tomatoes from the farms tainted by the slavery prosecution. According to the St. Augustine Record, "Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens… said the chain does purchase tomatoes from the two farms but pays a fair market price.” Reyes continued, “The choice before Publix is stark: join other retail food leaders, tomato growers, and the CIW in forging a more humane agricultural industry, or continue supporting the brutal and dehumanizing status quo in Florida agriculture today.” |
November 27, 2009
National Supermarket Week of Action a wrap
Fair Food message sent loud and clear!
In hundreds of supermarkets from Baltimore to the Bay Area, Fair Food activists gave their local grocers a special message this Thanksgiving week: Now is the time to support human rights in Florida's fields!
Supermarket chains from Trader Joe's to Giant, Stop and Shop, Walmart, Winn Dixie, and (of course) Publix were visited this past week by CIW allies who turned their Thanksgiving shoping into a teachable moment by dropping off a copy of the CIW's "manager's letter" to their local grocery store manager.
Thanks to everyone who made the week of action such a success. To get a better idea of the fun, click here for a few pictures from "shop and drops" from across the country. And, of course, even though supermarket week is over, don't let that stop you from getting in on the action -- download the manager's letter any time you'd like and visit for a moment with your supermarket manager next time you shop for groceries!
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Family = Love = Publix: For people who live within Publix's southeastern US market, the image on the left will almost certainly be familiar. It is a screen photo from a commercial that airs seemingly non-stop in the run-up to Thanksgiving. The ad cuts back and forth among three fictional families, multiple generations gathered around their holiday tables, all listening in rapt attention to the Thanksgiving blessing, given in perfect pitch by two fathers and a grandmother who remind their loved ones how lucky they are to have each other.
The commercial, like other Publix ads, shows very little food, doesn't show the store, and makes no mention at all of price or special discounts. Rather, with great economy it weaves a powerful, short narrative that follows this simple but remarkably effective formula:
Family = Love = Publix.
You can watch the commercial here. Go ahead, we'll wait... and feel free to shed a tear or two. Anything that can touch that place deep, deep in our hearts where our love for family resides is worth letting in, if only for a moment. Just don't forget to come back.
The other face of Publix: You back? Good. Now dry your eyes and take a good look at the man with the video camera above, on the right. He actually works for Publix (his white pin, in fact, reads "I *heart* Publix"). He is one of the team of videographers that Publix unleashed on farmworkers and Publix customers who support the farmworkers at pickets outside Publix stores. He is in fact the man who, under false pretenses, filmed farmworkers' and customers' families -- including their children -- during the very first Publix protests, until the resulting public uproar forced him and the other photographers to don their white pins and identify themselves as filming for Publix ("At Florida Tomato Protests, Backlash" 11/17/09, The Atlantic Monthly).
He is the other face of Publix.
He's the face you see when you question why Publix continues to purchase tomatoes from growers tainted by last year's brutal slavery prosecution.
He's the face you see when you ask Publix to make good on its promise to be, in the words of its mission statement, "involved as responsible citizens in our communities."
He's the face you see when you protest Publix's refusal to support tomato growers who today are implementing more ethical farm labor practices.
One recent story from the picket line captures the very different narrative behind this other face of Publix. About a week ago, CIW members and local allies organized a protest in Tampa. The picket attracted the attention of many in the Tampa rush hour traffic, including one kindergarten teacher who was so moved that she stopped to join in. As a teacher in nearby Ruskin, she has many students whose parents are farmworkers, and so she sees daily the struggles of farmworker parents to provide for their children. As she walked with the picketers, she talked with members of the CIW delegation and heard their stories.
After talking with the protesters, she approached a Publix representative who was on the scene. She voiced her concern for farmworkers as a Publix customer, but was met with a surprisingly harsh response. When the conversation was over and she told the Publix representative that she hoped she would meet him on better terms one day, his response was a curt "Don't bother". Taken aback with Publix's hostility she quickly re-joined the protestors for the rest of the picket to spread the word to other customers in the evening traffic.
"Don't bother": Farmworkers who protest brutal conditions on the farms where Publix buys its tomatoes are met with silence from Publix executives and surveillance by Publix representatives. Publix customers who support the farmworkers are told not to bother to come back.
This is hardly the reaction one would expect from a company that puts so many millions of dollars into building its image as a caring member of the community, as a part of the family. But it is what it is: the harsh, defensive reaction of a multi-billion dollar corporation that responds to criticism as an attack, to a human rights crisis as a public relations crisis.
So this Thanksgiving, if you happen upon this commercial, try to reconcile the simple grace of the ad with the sheer inhumanity of Publix's response, below, in today's St. Augustine Record ("Farmworkers protest supermarket tomatoes"), because we can't. When asked whether Publix continues to purchase from the farms where slave crews were recently found to have picked tomatoes:
"Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens, who was on hand at the Cobblestone Plaza store to observe the protest, said the chain does purchase tomatoes from the two farms but pays a fair market price.
“Our position, and it remains firm, is it’s a labor issue,” Stevens said. “That’s not our role: to come between our suppliers and their workers.”
Have a great Thanksgiving, and see you in Lakeland on December 6th.
November 23, 2009
Publix protests just keep getting bigger!
Hundreds join CIW members for massive protest in Columbus, GA
See update from Day 3 of CIW's Florida Tour in lead-up to Dec. 6th "Walk for Farmworker Justice"
In the run-up to the biggest Publix protest of the year, a ten-person crew of CIW members and allies have loaded up a van and headed north on a road trip across the state of Florida. Their goal: mobilize students, people of faith, and other Fair Food allies to join us this December 6th in Lakeland for the "Walk for Farmworker Justice"!
On Saturday, the tour crew was joined by well over 200 allies -- a conservative estimate, to be sure -- in Columbus, GA for what was certainly the largest, most spirited Publix protest to date! Read about the action in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer: "200 protest for farmworker rights at Publix," 11/22/09.
Click here for more pictures and a report from Day 3. And be sure to check this space throughout the week for all the news from our Florida tour crew as we get daily dispatches from the road.
November 18, 2009
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If you live in the southeastern United States, these two figures might be familiar to you from Publix's whimsical Thanksgiving season commercials... But there's nothing whimsical about the fact that the men and women who do the backbreaking, stoop labor necessary to put food on holiday tables across the nation cannot afford to provide their own families with a decent Thanksgiving meal. Perhaps that's why it seems that, this Thanksgiving, the salt and pepper-shaker pilgrims have crossed the picket line and are standing with farmworkers and consumers calling for Publix to support the Campaign for Fair Food. |
Alliance for Fair Food calls for National Supermarket Week of Action, Nov. 18th to Nov. 26th!
AFF: "This Thanksgiving, when you shop for your turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, drop off a Campaign for Fair Food letter to the store manager!"
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year for this country's supermarkets. But this Thanksgiving, give your supermarket more than your money, give them the message that you support fair wages and working conditions for farmworkers.
And we're not just talking Publix. Wherever you are in the continental US, there is sure to be one of the following stores:
- The Kroger Co., which includes the following brands: Kroger, Ralph’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co., Fred Meyer, Fry's, Gerbes, Hilander, Jay C, King Soopers, Owen's, Pay Less, QFC, Scott's, and Smith's
- Ahold USA, which includes the following brands: Stop & Shop, Giant, Giant Food Stores, Peapod, and Martin’s
- Publix (throughout Florida and the southeast)
- WalMart (virtually everywhere)
It's easy! Simply click here to go to the Alliance for Fair Food site, download the manager letter, and then deliver the letter to your local grocery store next time you go shopping (be sure to ask the supermarket manager to share your concerns with the company’s corporate headquarters). And, of course, if you don't see your local grocery store listed here above, feel free to take the letter to whatever supermarket you can!
When you're done, contact us to let us know what supermarket(s) you visited and how it went. If enough people add the letter drop-off to their Thanksgiving shopping this year, then maybe -- just maybe -- next holiday season we can all give thanks for a more modern, more humane agricultural industry.
November 16, 2009
Sparked by frustration with Publix's tactics, 200 take to streets in St. Pete in largest Publix protest to date!
ALSO: Major action announced for Publix hometown of Lakeland for December 6th ...
In a powerful rebuke to Publix's apparent contempt for farmworkers' fundamental human rights and the demand of its customers for Fair Food, more than 200 farmworkers and allies gathered at a St. Petersburg, Florida, Publix yesterday afternoon for a spirited protest. Following the action, more than half the crowd marched to another nearby Publix store for a second protest.
- See more pics from the actions in St. Petersburg here
- See the St. Petersburg Times article on the day's events here: "At St. Petersburg Publix, protesters march over farmworker pay," 11/16/09.
- See a short youtube video filmed by an ally turning the tables on the Publix camera crew here: "Publix spies on farmworkers"
Also, here below are the early details for what is sure to be the biggest Publix protest of the year, this December 6th in Lakeland, Florida:
Walk for Farmworker Justice
Sunday, December 6
Gather, starting at 2:30 pm, at 2515 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland (Southgate Plaza)
We will be starting the march at 3:30pm - it's 2.2 miles total - and marching down Florida Ave. to Kryger Park for a rally/candlelight vigil as it gets dark.
Address for Park: 100-198 S. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland.
"A Day without Slavery" hosted by Collier County Sheriff's Department in Immokalee...
Meanwhile, another day of mockery by Publix of slavery, farmworker poverty, and its own customers in Clearwater...
In Immokalee Saturday, the Collier County Sheriff's Department and the Collier County Coalition Against Human Trafficking held the first-ever "Day without Slavery," a community event "aimed at providing seasonal farm workers and members of the Immokalee community with information about human trafficking and ways to identify victims of human trafficking." The CIW worked with the Sheriff's Department to help publicize the event and the CIW's Lucas Benitez addressed the crowd, estimated at over 500 people ("Immokalee event geared toward raising awareness of human trafficking," Naples Daily News, 11/14/09).
The Immokalee farmworker community -- famously dubbed "ground zero for modern-day slavery" by one federal prosecutor -- was the target of the event. Detective Charlie Frost, who testified in last year's Senate hearings on slavery in Florida's fields, told the Daily News:
“They are our eyes and ears out here,” Frost said. “They’re the ones that will be able to alert us to these trafficking type of situations. It’s important that they know they have rights as victims.” |
But on the same day that farmworkers and police were joining forces in Immokalee in a grimly serious battle against the scourge of modern-day slavery, Publix representatives were once again busy mocking farmworkers and their allies in Clearwater, who were there protesting Publix's refusal to address revelations of slavery in its supply chain.
In a reprise of its clumsy, and widely-criticized, attempt to surreptitiously film CIW actions in southwest Florida last month, Publix representatives again aggressively filmed protesters in Clearwater on Saturday, though this time the cameramen (right, in blue shirt) clearly identified themselves as shooting on behalf of Publix, with small "I (heart) Publix" pins on their chests. Throughout the day, Publix cameramen stood squarely in the faces of the protesters, filming individual workers and consumers for the benefit of, in their words, "Publix executives."
The "Day without Slavery" in Immokalee and the protest in Clearwater shared a common purpose -- to end slavery in Florida's agricultural industry. The goal of the Publix protests is to forge a more humane agricultural industry by creating real market consequences for those growers who would continue to abuse their workers while ensuring that those who step up to higher labor standards are rewarded with increased demand from ethical retailers, companies like Compass Group, Whole Foods, and others. Yet despite the simple justice of the campaign's demands, Publix continues to purchase tomatoes from growers tainted by last year's brutal slavery prosecution, as they confirmed again just recently to the press.
It is one thing for a large corporation like Publix to resist change. But it is something else all together when a company like Publix adopts such an openly hostile, and quite frankly unsophisticated, position in response to calls by its customers for social responsibility. The issues driving the campaign -- endemic farmworker poverty and slavery -- are now well-established and accepted as fact by everyone from food industry leaders to government officials. Even Florida governor Charlie Crist has publicly declared his support for the Campaign for Fair Food. Yet in spite of this, Publix has refused all communication with the CIW and treated farmworkers and CIW allies alike with unprecedented disdain.
Every day, more and more longtime Publix customers are becoming aware of the conditions behind Publix's tomatoes and of the company's hostility to the Campaign for Fair Food. And their customers' response is unequivocal: This kind of behavior on the part of a multi-billion dollar company against one of the poorest communities in the country, against the very workers whose backbreaking labor has helped make Publix the richest privately held company in Florida, is simply not acceptable.
Indeed, it suggests the very attitude that has allowed slavery to fester in Florida's fields for so long.
Sooner or later, Publix, like other food industry leaders who fought the campaign with similar tactics in the past, will reconsider its strategy, meet with the CIW, and realize that the changes farmworkers are calling for are fair, feasible, and long-overdue. Until that time, Publix might at least find a more professional way to communicate its position. Better still, perhaps Publix could meet with the Collier County Sheriff's Department Anti-Trafficking Unit and so show some hint of respect for fundamental human rights.
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Brigitte Gynther, shown here speaking at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Florida, last month with Romeo Ramirez of the CIW, was awarded the 2009 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award by the Campaign for Human Development of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops "for her role in supporting and empowering farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), as they pursue fair wages, improved working conditions, and an end to modern day slavery in the fields." |
November 14, 2009
US Catholic bishops, ethical business community recognize Campaign for Fair Food!
Alliance for Fair Food wins "Benny" Award, Brigitte Gynther of Interfaith Action wins Cardinal Bernardin Award...
In a double dose of good news, the CIW and its allies received national recognition recently for the growing success of the Campaign for Fair Food and its fight against farm labor exploitation in Florida.
In a press release issued yesterday, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) announced that longtime CIW ally Brigitte Gynther of Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida had been chosen to receive the 2009 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award.
According to the release, "The Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award honors a Catholic between the ages of 18 and 30 who demonstrates leadership in fighting poverty and injustice in the United States through community-based solutions. It is named for the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, former archbishop of Chicago and a leading voice on behalf of poor and low-income people, who understood the need to build bridges across ethnic, economic, class and age barriers."
Bishop Roger P. Morin, Chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, praised Brigitte and her work:
“Brigitte’s commitment to standing with the Immokalee workers is a powerful illustration of CCHD’s work to empower low-income people to address the root causes of poverty in their communities. Her support for the farmworkers’ struggle to ensure that human dignity and basic rights are protected is an illustration of the Gospel call for the faithful to stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable (Lk. 4:18-20).” |
Brigitte was also quoted in the press release speaking about the inspiration for her work:
“Catholic social teaching lifts up right relationships, working together in respect,” says Gynther, describing her work as building a bridge so that farmworkers and people from other backgrounds enter into genuine relationship with one another. Gynther also emphasizes the need “to look at root causes of farmworkers’ struggles and help people see that we can do something at the systemic level.” |
Meanwhile, the CIW and the Alliance for Fair Food also won national recognition recently, this time from the Business Ethics Network (BEN), which selected the campaign as a co-winner of the 2009 Benny Award, its top prize for marketplace activism. Here's an excerpt from the BEN press release:
"Top corporate campaign activists were honored in October at the 2009 BENNY Awards, given by the Business Ethics Network (BEN) in teleconference-connected ceremonies on both coasts. The Campaign for Fair Food and Think Before You Pink: “Yoplait--Put a Lid on It” campaign tied for the first place BENNY Award, and the campaign for Derechos de la Naturaleza, or Rights of Nature in Ecuador's Constitution, won the second place BENNY Award. Each campaign won a significant victory in corporate transformation in the last year... 'These campaigners won incredible victories on behalf of workers’ rights, human health, and the environment,' said BEN Executive Director Michael Marx. 'They are making corporations accountable to all of us.'” |
Recognition like that represented by these two prestigious awards is deeply encouraging and fuels the commitment of CIW members and allies alike for the long road ahead in the battle for Fair Food. Congratulations go out to Brigitte and to everyone who has made the Campaign for Fair Food the force for change that it is today.
Ultimately, of course, the most important recognition is that of the food industry itself -- the recognition that consumers and workers have a real voice in the industry, and with that voice we are demanding that those who do the backbreaking work to put food on our tables be guaranteed a fair wage and humane working conditions in exchange for their labor. And until that recognition is won, the Campaign for Fair Food will continue.
November 13, 2009
Direct from Immokalee...
(Note: On the eve of the final weekend of actions before the big Publix protest this December 6 in Lakeland, Florida, we wanted to share the following short video with you. It was produced by CIW members to mobilize their fellow members for this weekend's actions in Clearwater and St. Petersburg. It is in Spanish, but we trust that the images and energy of the speakers and the crowd communicate the message without need of translation.)
If you'd like to learn more about how you can participate in this weekend's actions or the Dec. 6 protest in Lakeland, you can email us at: workers@ciw-online.org
November 9, 2009
Two days, five Publix protests!
Thousands of Publix consumers learn of labor abuse behind their tomatoes in weekend of actions in South Florida...
With actions in Lake Worth, Miami, North Miami, Coral Gables, and Hollywood, the "Month of Publix Protests" hit the road again this weekend, taking its message to the streets of South Florida with colorful signs and a contagious spirit, winning the hearts of thousands of Miami consumers with the message of "Fair Food" (picture above by Miami New Times).
For a sense of the action, we'll let the montage of signs below tell the story:
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For a report from the action, by the Miami New Times, with a lot more great pictures and a short video, click here!
And click here for reports from the Orlando, Gainesville, Tampa, and Southwest Florida actions from earlier in the "Month of Publix Protests"!
November 5, 2009
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| Rev. Martin Luther King, pictured on the steps of the state capitol in Birmingham, Alabama, following the march from Montgomery at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King famously asked "How long?" would the nightmare of institutionalized racism stand against the rising tide of social justice, and answered confidently, "Not long!" Today, religious leaders throughout Florida are stepping up to demand an end to the human rights crisis in the state's fields, and asking how long will Publix continue to stand in the way of progress for Florida's farmworkers. |
"How long? Not long!"
Florida clergy leading the fight for farmworker rights in Publix supply chain!...
Last week, two different guest opinion columns ran in southwest Florida newspapers written by local clergy calling on Publix to join with the CIW in improving wages and working conditions for the farmworkers who pick the supermarket giant's tomatoes:
- In the Naples Daily News, the Rev. Dana Hendershot of Christus Victor Lutheran Church, highlighted the choice currently before Publix: "Simply put, Publix — Florida’s largest privately held company — has two options. It can support social responsibility and take advantage of its buying power to make a positive difference in the lives of farmworkers, as so many retail industry leaders already have, or it can continue to ignore farmworkers’ plight, quietly profiting from Florida’s persistent harvest of shame. Until its corporate position changes, we prayerfully hope company officials will one day very soon choose the former..." read the full article here
- In the Ft. Myers News-Press, the Rev. Jim Boler, former associate minister of Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ, takes issue with Publix´s vow to not get involved in what they deem as simply "a labor dispute": "When Publix knowingly purchases tomatoes from fields tainted by the sweat of slaves (not just worker and human rights abuse but actual slavery convictions) Publix is involved in that "dispute" on the side of injustice and immorality..." read the full article here
But behind the scenes, religious leaders have also been very active in letting Publix know that there is only one "clear path toward ensuring fair wages and conditions for those who pick the tomatoes that Publix sells in its stores."
In separate letters to Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw, the Rev. Kent Siladi, head of the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ, and Bishop Frank Dewane, Bishop of the Diocese of Venice of the Catholic Church in Florida, expressed their deep concern over the exploitation of workers in Florida's fields and the urgency of the need for change.
Rev. Siladi wrote:
"... There is a clear path toward ensuring fair wages and conditions for those who pick the tomatoes that Publix sells in its stores. Yum Brands, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, Bon Appetit, and Whole Foods are all working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to directly improve the wages and working conditions in their tomato supply chains. Surely Publix would like to be counted among these companies as a responsible neighbor to those who help to provide the produce that helps Publix be a profitable organization..." (letter to Ed Crenshaw, August 18, 2009)
In his letter, Bishop Dewane wrote:
"... By entering into an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, more desirable working conditions can be put into effect. A proper monitoring system involving both your company and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers can go a long way in recognizing the human dignity of the workers. This action would also signal that Publix Supermarkets, Inc., wishes to ensure zero tolerance for forced labor and human trafficking..." (letter to Ed Crenshaw, September 16, 2009)
There can be no doubt that the longer Publix turns its back on the human rights crisis in Florida's fields, the more Florida's religious leaders will raise their voices in protest and demand real social responsibility from the state's leading supermarket company. How long can Publix ignore the growing chorus of support from Florida's faith community?
For an answer, we turn to another religious leader from another time and another battle for fundamental human rights, Dr. Martin Luther King, whose immortal words on the steps of the state capitol in Birmingham, Alabama, ring true nearly 50 years later:
"How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it? I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because 'truth crushed to earth will rise again.' How long? Not long, because 'no lie can live forever.' How long? Not long, because 'you shall reap what you sow. How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'" see Dr. King's speech here
November 2, 2009
Orlando action (right) biggest Publix protest yet in month of action!
Also: Second powerful Op/Ed by Florida pastor in the past week takes Publix to task for "ignor(ing) farmworkers’ plight, quietly profiting from Florida’s persistent harvest of shame."
With the third straight weekend of action in the books, workers from Immokalee and their central Florida allies raised the "Month of Publix Protests" to new levels this past Sunday, rocking Orlando and surprising a Lakeland store in the shadow of Publix's corporate headquarters with an impromptu protest.
Check here for more pictures from the weekend's actions.
Meanwhile, another powerful Op/Ed by a member of the clergy in Florida demanding that Publix work with the CIW for farm labor justice was published this Sunday, this time in the Naples Daily News. Rev. Dana Hendershot, a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, wrote a guest commentary entitled, "Half-century old TV clip remains a snapshot of today from farm fields," (11/1/09). Here's an excerpt:
But while U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has fittingly described the commitment of these growers as “the beginning of the end of the ‘Harvest of Shame,’” one must wonder why Publix has declined to take part in the opportunity. Simply put, Publix — Florida’s largest privately held company — has two options. It can support social responsibility and take advantage of its buying power to make a positive difference in the lives of farmworkers, as so many retail industry leaders already have, or it can continue to ignore farmworkers’ plight, quietly profiting from Florida’s persistent harvest of shame..." |
"... Despite resistance by leaders of Florida’s tomato industry, three growers — Alderman Farms, Lady Moon Farms and East Coast Growers — have agreed this coming season to pass along to harvesters an extra penny-per-pound pledged by these companies.Read Rev. Hendershot's Op/Ed in its entirety here!
And click here for Rev. Jim Boler's Op/Ed from earlier last week, "Publix involved in tomato pickers' fate, like it or not" (10/27/09).
October 31, 2009
"Month of Publix Protests" continues with actions this weekend in Orlando, and a news round-up from a busy week!...
As CIW members head north to Orlando to meet with local allies for another weekend of actions at Publix stores, the front lines in the growing battle for the soul of Florida's "neighborhood grocer" just get hotter and hotter, including:
- a story on the campaign in Publix's hometown paper, the Lakeland Ledger ("Publix targeted by farmworker group," 10/30/09), in which Publix rolls out a new argument in its defense: “Publix pays fair market value for our tomatoes and we don’t determine that price.” What an wonderful use of the word "fair"...
It ought to be interesting in the weeks and months ahead to see which definition Publix consumers prefer -- "fair" as in a price so low that endemic farm labor exploitation is inevitable and slavery all too possible, or "fair" as in a price that other food industry leaders have agreed to pay to help farmworkers escape decades of degradation but Publix refuses to meet.
- an NPR story on the undercover filming scandal ("Publix employee films farmworker protest", 10/29/09). Apparently it was the Publix employee's "day off," which didn't, however, keep Publix from getting a copy of his film;
- and a mid-week protest at the opening of a new Publix in tony South Beach (above). Here are a couple more pics (below) to give you a sense of the action:
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Check back soon for an update from this weekend's protests!
October 28, 2009
"There is no labor dispute," Part II...
Pastor writes forceful Op/Ed in response to Publix claim "we won't get involved in middle of labor disputes" for Ft. Myers News-Press!
Rev. Jim Boler, a retired minister with the United Church of Christ, penned a compelling Op/Ed published in yesterday's Ft. Myers News-Press, entitled "Publix involved in tomato pickers' fate, like it or not" (10/27/09).
After explaining that several Florida farms have agreed to implement the Fair Food principles this coming season, Rev. Boler writes that Publix "has refused to participate" and instead continues to purchase tomatoes from "farms corrupted in (the) latest slavery conviction." He goes on to write:
"... This is the Publix that received a $50,000-per-month rent subsidy from Fort Myers. Having received community support Publix must now support the farmworkers of this community. Maria Brous, a Publix spokeswoman, is quoted as saying, "Our official position is we don't get involved in the middle of labor disputes between our suppliers and other organizations." Well, Ms. Brous, Publix is already involved. I agree with Publix when it says that with more than 35,000 products it can't get involved in all disputes with suppliers. Nor should they. But this is not just a labor dispute; this involves human rights. How many of Publix's suppliers are involved in actual convictions for slavery? I assume not too many. When Publix knowingly purchases tomatoes from fields tainted by the sweat of slaves (not just worker and human rights abuse but actual slavery convictions) Publix is involved in that "dispute" on the side of injustice and immorality. In 1776 Adam Smith's famous "Wealth of Nations," advocating a free market economy, was published. But, before that, in 1759, Adam Smith's "Theory of Moral Sentiments" was published, the book he considered as his "foundational" work. He said economics is not "amoral." Any civilized social system (economic or otherwise) makes moral judgments and has moral consequences. Economics, wrote Smith, needs a moral base, which the free market does not provide. Come on, Publix; you are much better than this. Until now your reputation has been exemplary. In this "labor dispute" moral principles should trump Publix's company policy. Now I read that a Publix worker, claiming to be making an independent documentary, filmed our peaceful, nonviolent protests. This is a new low for Publix. Meet with the CIW. As a loyal Publix customer I expect nothing less." |
Click here to check out this must-read Op/Ed in its entirety.
And check out our own reflection on the topic here.
October 26, 2009
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| Undaunted by the unethical -- and unexplained -- filming under false pretenses of protesters at last week's actions, dozens of farmworker families traveled north this weekend to demand that Publix support the growing movement for social justice in Florida's tomato fields. |
"Month of Publix Protests" continues with two days of action in Gainesville, Tampa!
Foodservice provider Aramark also focus of Gainesville action on UF campus...
About 150 farmworkers from Immokalee and their allies gathered for spirited actions this past weekend in Gainesville and Tampa, letting Publix know that no amount of intimidation will turn them back from their fight to move Publix to join other food industry leaders in supporting the Campaign for Fair Food. The growing numbers at the latest protests made clear that momentum is building for the big December action in Lakeland, home of Publix corporate headquarters.
In Gainesville, the action started at the University of Florida, where students are organizing in support of the Student/Farmworker Alliance "Dine with Dignity" campaign. The students are calling on campus foodservice provider Aramark to follow the Compass Group's lead and work with the CIW to support social justice in Florida's tomato fields.
The protest was large and lively, generating strong support for this week's vote by the student Senate on a resolution supporting the CIW and the Campaign for Fair Food. Here's an excerpt from an op/ed in the University of Florida student paper ("Students should demand better wages for Immokalee workers," 10/26/09):
"... This past Saturday, I was joined by more than 130 students, faculty, activists and Immokalee farm workers in demanding that Aramark negotiate with... athe Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Right now, Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell and several other corporations have agreed to directly pay a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked to the farm workers. The coalition is calling on Aramark to do the same thing. Because every dining option on campus is owned by Aramark, any student who has eaten on campus has a moral imperative to assist the coalition in its struggle for justice in Immokalee. Student Senate heard a resolution in support of the CIW last month that a majority of Senators from all three parties voted for. In a bizarre turn of events, the resolution didn't pass because it needed a two-thirds majority. This Tuesday, Senate is hearing the same resolution again. Based on the enormous amount of support on Saturday, I'm not alone in demanding that Senate vote overwhelmingly to demand that Aramark negotiate with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to bring an end to the abuses and exploitation in Immokalee...." |
Read more of the student op/ed here.
Click here for more great pictures from the weekend's actions in Gainesville and Tampa.
Read an article on the two Gainesville protests here ("More than 100 protest Immokalee workers' wages," 10/26/09).
And read coverage of the Tampa action here ("100 farmworkers protest low prices for tomatoes," 10/26/09).
Unsettling experience at last weekend's Publix actions becomes issue in Publix campaign...
Man (right) who followed protests from city to city, filmed under false pretenses, now identified as Publix "associate," filming for Publix. Unexplained filming of children questioned.
In a bizarre turn of events, a man who followed CIW members and allies around Southwest Florida last weekend, filming the protests -- and on several occasions denying that he works for Publix, claiming instead to be making a documentary on "social movements" -- has been identified as a Publix "associate" who arranged to provide a copy of his film to Publix, according to the Ft. Myers News-Press ("Man filming protest a Publix worker," 10/23/09). Here's the story:
"Members of a farmworkers group felt an unsettling sense of deja vu when they learned a man — who called himself "an old hippie" making an independent documentary — filming them protesting at Publix actually works for the supermarket giant. And Publix plans to archive copies of his footage, though it won't say why. Instead of keeping the film, Publix should destroy it and apologize to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, said W. Michael Hoffman, executive director of the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley University in Massachusetts. "This man deceived them. The filming was done under false pretenses. That is an unethical act," Hoffman said. "I would hope the board of Publix would find this inappropriate and in violation of their code of conduct." John Attaway, Publix general counsel and senior vice president, did not respond to phone calls or e-mails seeking comment." |
The article goes on to quote several people who were present at the events, noticed something peculiar about the videographer, and asked him to identify himself:
"I just walked up to him," said the Rev. Dana Hendershot of Naples' Christus Victor Lutheran Church. "He told me he was just an old hippie into protest movements." In Sarasota, New College student Andrea Ortiz talked to him. "He said he was doing a documentary on the protest culture because he was from the '60s," Ortiz said. "And he told me he wasn't from Florida." Ortiz asked for his contact information. He wrote "Southeast Production Services" and a phone number. "He told me his name was Tom, but he didn't give me his last name," she said. A check of the number shows it belongs to Thomas McGuigan of Tampa. Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten confirmed McGuigan works for Publix. |
For it's part, Publix had this to say:
Patten [Publix spokesperson Shannon Patten] wrote in an e-mail: "(McGuigan) is working on an independent documentary and has been doing so for some time. Knowing that he would be there filming, we have asked him to provide us a copy of his footage for our records." Publix hasn't answered calls and e-mails asking why it wants the images. |
Particularly disturbing about the man's filming was the fact that he appeared to focus unnecessarily on children attending the protest. If, as Ms. Patten admits, Publix arranged to obtain a copy of the film, what possible use would footage of children have for the supermarket giant?
The story ended with a quote from Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation" and a long-time observer of the Campaign for Fair Food who wrote a widely-read op/ed in the New York Times ("Burger with a side of spies," 5/7/08) last time the CIW was the target of unethical corporate tactics:
Eric Schlosser, who wrote the best-selling "Fast Food Nation," and testified at last year's Senate hearings on Florida's tomato industry, calls McGuigan's filming "unbelievable." "It's not just the lying and spying, it's the focus on their kids that's so weird," he said. "There's no question they should destroy that film." |
What Publix does with the film remains an open question at this point. See the story in its entirety here.
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| Silvia Perez of the CIW leads a delegation delivering a letter to a Publix representative Sunday night in Ft. Myers. The letter describes the inhumane conditions in Florida's tomato fields and invites Publix to join other retail food industry leaders in supporting growers, like East Coast Growers and Alderman Farms, who have stepped up to institute labor reforms established by the Campaign for Fair Food. |
Publix: "We will not intervene in a labor dispute."
CIW, East Coast Growers, Alderman Farms, Ladymoon Farms, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Labor, et al: "What labor dispute?"...
As Publix resorts to public relations double talk, farmworkers and their allies deliver an unambiguous message: "Slavery shall be no more"...
Check out the Sarasota Herald Tribune's video report on Sunday's Publix protest in Sarasota:
[We are currently working through difficulties on the Herald Tribune site to embed the video,
but in the meantime, click here to see the video and come on back for
more analysis.]
About two thirds of the way into the story, Publix spokesperson Maria Brous is quoted as saying:
"We cannot get in the middle of labor disputes between suppliers and workers."
The CIW and hundreds of Southwest Florida allies held rallies in five different cities over the past weekend (Naples, Port Charlotte, Venice, Sarasota, and Ft. Myers) and at every stop a team of Publix representatives was there to face the press. And in every city, the Publix PR team had but one argument in the chain's defense: "We do no intervene in the labor disputes of our suppliers."
The argument is so remarkably inadequate it's hard to know just where to start in response. We could ask: Since when is slavery considered a "labor dispute"? [Despite blistering criticism, Publix continues to purchase tomatoes from two Immokalee area farms tainted by last season's brutal slavery prosecution.]
Or we could simply remind Publix that Taco Bell tried -- and failed -- to press that same argument nearly a decade ago. [After four years of a hard-fought boycott, Taco Bell learned that consumers actually expect the brands they trust to take action against human rights abuses in their supply chain, not to sell them food harvested in unimaginably harsh conditions.]
But instead, we'll just say this: What labor dispute?
The simple fact is, there is no longer any dispute. For several months now, farmworkers and growers -- and food retail giants -- have been working together to improve farm labor wages and working conditions. It began with the announcement last June that Alderman Farms and Ladymoon Farms had agreed to implement the CIW's Fair Food principles, together with Whole Foods. And it continued in spectacular fashion this past month when Florida's third largest tomato grower, East Coast Growers, joined food service leader Compass Group in announcing that it too would implement the CIW's agreements this coming season. At that announcement ceremony, held in Washington DC, the Secretary of Agriculture issued a strong statement of support for the new alliance, while no less an expert in labor disputes than the Secretary of Labor herself joined the press conference and called the news "a huge victory."
So... maybe it's time for Publix to drop the "we don't intervene in labor disputes" argument.
Today, the question before Publix is this: Will you be part of the solution and support workers and growers collaborating to build a more modern, more humane agricultural industry?
Or will you continue to be part of the problem, undermining progress and buttressing Florida's old guard agricultural giants whose exploitative labor practices have brought shame upon the state for decades?
The weekend was full of spirited, colorful actions. Click here to see pictures from several of the actions.
Click here to see Ft. Myers Fox affiliate's video report from the candlelight vigil
Click here to see another video report, from the Ft. Myers CBS affiliate.
Click here for a great photo gallery from the Ft. Myers News-Press.
And click here for an article on the Sarasota action from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
October 17, 2009
And so it begins...
"Month of Publix Protests" begins with a weekend full of actions around Southwest Florida!
From the Naples Daily News ("Farmworkers picket Publix wanting chain to pay more for tomatoes," 10/17/09; all pictures are by Greg Kahn, Naples Daily News):
"About 50 farmworkers and supporters of Immokalee farmworkers picketed a Publix in Naples on Saturday morning, calling for the Florida-based grocer to pay more for tomatoes and take a stand against inhumane conditions for tomato pickers.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is asking the grocery store chain to pay a penny-per-pound increase on tomatoes, to be passed on to the tomato pickers, similar to what several fast food chains have done in deals with the coalition.
Despite rain, protesters stood for one hour in the median at U.S. 41 in front of the Publix across from Coastland Center mall...
... About half of the 50 demonstrators were Naples or Bonita Springs residents who support the coalition.
'We would just like Publix to get on board with the rest of the purchasers like Burger King, Taco Bell and McDonald’s that have recognized there is a social responsibility,' said John Dwyer, 66, who said he has supported the farmworkers for years, even before they organized the coalition.
'They need to take a stand against modern slavery and low wages,' his wife, Karen Dwyer, 51, said...
... The coalition was scheduled to protest later Saturday outside Publix stores in Port Charlotte and Venice and on Sunday in Sarasota. They plan to wrap up the weekend protest with a candelight vigil at 7 p.m. outside the federal courthouse in Fort Myers with a walk to a nearby Publix on McGregor Boulevard." read more
Some scenes from the protest (see full gallery here):
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Stay tuned for more updates from the first weekend of Publix actions!
October 15, 2009
Student/Farmworker Alliance "Dine with Dignity" week of action a success!
You can give the SFA campaign for campus food justice a push by sending a message to Aramark and Sodexo...
Students across the country organized this past week to demand justice for farmworkers from their campus foodservice providers, specifically calling on campus food giants Sodexo and Aramark to follow Compass Group's lead and help bring an end to Florida's "Harvest of Shame".
Here's an excerpt from the SFA's week-of-action web report:
"... In Texas, a delegation of Fair Food Austin members and University of Texas students delivered a letter calling on Aramark to step up and enter into an agreement with the CIW to UT-Austin's Aramark representative (right).
The response from Aramark? A PR statement (that we've seen before) claiming, among other things, that the company has already met with the CIW to address the issue. Really?
Fair Food Austin sets the record straight: "According to the CIW, however, no negotiations are currently underway. In fact, Aramark has yet to contact the CIW since the launch of the Dine With Dignity campaign six months ago. And in light of the Fair Food agreements between the CIW and seven multibillion-dollar, multinational food retailers, Aramark's excuse of supply chain opacity arrives dead on arrival in 2009."
Read the rest of the SFA's report here. And then click here to send an email to Sodexo and Aramark executives and add your voice to those of students across the country demanding farm labor justice from the foodservice giants!
October 2 , 2009
Publix: Where Shopping is Still a Shame...
The Autumn of Our Discontent: Fed up with Publix's empty excuses for inaction, farmworkers and allies plan a full fall calendar of action at Publix supermarkets across Florida (click here for actions and dates)!
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| From left to right, Lucas Benitez of the CIW, Chris Ashcroft of Compass Group, and Batista Madonia of East Coast Growers stand with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis after receiving mementos recognizing their breakthrough agreement at last Friday's announcement ceremony in Washington, DC. |
When Compass Group and East Coast Growers announced their groundbreaking agreement to implement the CIW's Fair Food principles this coming season, Senator Bernie Sanders, a long-time observer of the Campaign for Fair Food, issued a statement that began:
"Today marks the beginning of the
end of the harvest of shame that has existed for far too long in Florida's tomato fields."
Indeed, with farmworkers and growers finally working together to produce a fairer tomato -- including higher wages and better farm labor conditions made possible, in part, by the support of major retail food corporations that buy Florida tomatoes, like Compass Group and McDonald's -- it seemed inevitable that other large tomato buyers would seize the opportunity to be part of the solution to Florida's longstanding shame of farmworker exploitation.
Publix, however, refuses to be part of that solution.
Despite the fact that workers at three Florida farms -- Alderman Farms, East Coast Growers, and Ladymoon Farms -- will be enjoying better conditions and a more modern relationship with their employers when picking starts this November, Publix continues to justify its refusal to support social responsibility with a long-ago discredited mantra:
“Publix has a long history of non-intervention in disputes between suppliers and their employees.” (Ft. Myers News-Press, 9/25/09)
The argument of non-intervention proved invalid when Taco Bell used it in its defense years ago. Even then, when workers and growers were still on opposite sides of the debate, Taco Bell ultimately realized that if human rights were to be respected in Florida's fields, their intervention as a large buyer was essential. Of course, where there is no dispute, as on the farms where the CIW's agreements will be implemented this season, the argument is beyond invalid -- it's nonsensical, plain and simple.
But worse yet is the fact that Publix continues to purchase from the very growers where the workers liberated in last season's slavery prosecution picked tomatoes. While Whole Foods and other buyers cut off purchases from those growers when presented with the news of their relationship to the slavery prosecution, Publix refused to do so. Instead, they passed the buck, saying:
"We are confident that Governor Crist and Florida's law enforcement agencies will work tirelessly to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from our great state."
While Publix is confident in Governor Crist's commitment to fighting slavery in Florida, they apparently didn't listen earlier this year when Governor Crist, writing in a public letter to the CIW, strongly supported the Campaign for Fair Food, "whereby corporate purchasers of Florida tomatoes have agreed to contribute monies for the benefit of the tomato field workers," as an essential part of the solution to the state's farm labor slavery crisis.
For all these reasons, farmworkers and their allies will be joining forces this fall to press their case with Publix and demand that the largest privately held company in Florida do its part to help improve farm labor conditions and eliminate modern-day slavery in the state.
Toward that end, a full calendar of actions at Publix stores has been set. Here below are the dates as they stand at this time (with more to come in the days ahead):
On Labor Day this year, farmworkers and allies from Sarasota delivered Manager Letters to local Publix supermarkets in a unique way: a 10-mile bicycle "Labor Day Freedom Ride"! Month of Publix Protests:
Oct 17 & 18 - Southwest Florida (Naples, Port Charlotte, Venice, Sarasota and Ft. Myers)
Oct 24 & 25 - Gainesville
Oct 31 & Nov 1 – Orlando
Nov 7 & 8 - Ft. Lauderdale
& MiamiNov 14 & 15 – Tampa
& St. PetersburgStatewide Organizing Tour: November 18-24
Major Action in Lakeland (early December, exact date to be announced)
If you live in or near any of the cities above, email us to find out how you can get involved!
It's time for Publix to end the excuses and work together with farmworkers, growers, and consumers for social responsibility.
Join us this fall in pressing Publix to make shopping truly a pleasure by supporting fair wages and working conditions for the farmworkers who pick its tomatoes.
In wake of Compass/East Coast announcement, heat turns up on Publix!
Editorial: "Publix should join agreement"
A straight talking editorial in the Ft. Myers News-Press pivoted quickly from last week's announcement of the Compass/East Coast agreement to Publix and its refusal to support the growing movement for social responsibility in the Florida tomato industry. Here it is in its entirety ("Publix should join agreement"):
With their most important success yet in the fight for better treatment of farmworkers, advocates for Florida's underpaid tomato pickers have created a powerful tide of reform. Publix supermarkets would be wise to swim with this tide. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has concluded a three-way agreement with East Coast Growers and Compass, the world's largest food-service company, to improve Florida tomato pickers' pay and working conditions. Compass joined the three biggest fast-food companies - Yum Brands, McDonald's and Burger King - and Whole Foods grocery chain, in an agreement to see that pickers get a penny more per pound for the tomatoes they harvest. It's estimated that could boost workers' annual pay from about $10,000 to between $16,000 and $17,000 - still little enough for people who work hard to put food on America's tables. Money pledged by earlier signatories had not been reaching workers because of the refusal of the powerful Florida Tomato Growers Exchange to pass it on. But East Coast Growers has dropped out of the exchange in order to pay the difference. That signals an even bigger change than signing up another retailer. The wall of resistance is breaking down. That suggests that it makes even more sense now for Publix to join the agreement. It's the right thing to do, and it's good public relations for a company that cares a lot about its image. Congratulations to the coalition for another victory in its remarkable fight on behalf of people with few friends in high places. And congratulations to Compass and East Coast Growers for joining the effort to better the lives of the 30,000 migrant farmworkers in Florida. |
Also, in an article from 9/25/09 ("Workers plan informational blitz at Publix"), the News-Press looks more closely at another disturbing aspect of Publix tomato purchasing policies: The company's continuing purchases from Florida growers involved in the latest slavery prosecution, despite the fact that companies like Whole Foods cut off purchases from those same growers when news emerged that the Navarrete slave crews were employed on their fields. Here's an excerpt:
| “Publix wants consumers to think that shopping in their stores is a pleasure,” Reyes said. “But if every time people see the green Publix sign they think of tomatoes picked by slaves and are reminded that Publix is refusing to buy tomatoes through a program that pays farmworkers a better wage and protects their labor rights, like Whole Foods does, well, that’s not a pleasure — that’s a shame.” read more here |
September 21, 2009
Fifth annual Student/Farmworker Alliance "Encuentro" in Immokalee is a wrap!
Also... Great story on East Coast agreement in Florida Catholic!
From September 10-13, Immokalee played host to nearly 100 students & youth for the SFA's fifth-annual Encuentro!
Over the course of the weekend, Encuentro participants attended workshops, had fun, and sweated in the intense Florida heat -- all while strategizing around the upcoming year in the Campaign for Fair Food and SFA's Dine with Dignity campaign. Click on the link below for the exclusive photo report from the exciting weekend and for an advance look at plans for what is sure to be an action-packed fall to come:
2009 Ecuentro Report & Fall semester of Action
Also... The Florida Catholic (the official newspaper for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami and the Dioceses of Orlando, Palm Beach, Pensacola-Tallahassee, St. Petersburg, and Venice) ran a great story this week on the recent agreement with East Coast Growers ("Tomato pickers penny per pound is 'right before God'", 9/25/09). Here's an extended excerpt:
"... Problems arose two years ago, however. The strong Florida Tomato Growers Exchange threatened a $100,000 fine to any grower who attempted to pay the workers the increase. The money has been sitting in escrow accounts rather than being passed on to the laborers. East Coast Growers and Packers objected to this and eventually resigned from the exchange and partnered with the workers’ coalition. 'This is just the start,' said Brigitte Gynther of the farmworker advocacy group Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida. 'They’re going to be implementing the system. The exciting thing is that they’re willing and open to improving wages and following a code of conduct that puts them ahead of the rest of the industry.' What are the ramifications to East Coast Growers of leaving the industry group? Madonia Jr. shared, 'We won’t have as much lobbying power in Washington, yet we’ll have all the power of the people and being on the right side of doing business.' Madonia’s parents, Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr., started in the tomato industry in Pennsylvania in 1958. The company has become one of the top four Florida tomato farms with 7,000 acres of farmland and three packing facilities with headquarters in Plant City. 'We’ve lived the life they live,' Madonia Jr. continued. 'Having to move from place to place, starting school late or without my parents – it’s not a favorite memory, but it gave me insight on life today. We’ve done well and we’re sharing that.' Benitez said, 'I was 17 and working in the fields and saw the injustices that were happening in the country of abundance – so many of the farmworkers are so poor and treated so poorly. We started our organization in the Catholic Church here in Immokalee – at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and that’s something we’ll never forget. I was raised a Catholic and a great part of our work is very firmly rooted in Catholic social teaching.' 'It’s really the beginning of the future,' Benitez concluded, 'in which the whole agricultural industry will see that it’s prime time to come into this century improving how workers are treated. The Madonias are the first large company to be with us in this part of history. I think that’s exactly what Jesus came to do –to give hope to the neediest and the value of each human being.' read more |
September 11, 2009
What they're saying about the agreement with East Coast...
Reaction is flooding in to the announcement that East Coast Growers and Packers has agreed to work with the CIW and food industry leaders to implement the CIW's Fair Food agreements, including the penny-per-pound raise to harvesters, supply chain transparency, and a stringent code of conduct.
We'll start with words from East Coast itself. In an interview with the Miami Herald ("Florida tomato grower will raise workers' wages," 9/11/09), Batista Madonia, Jr., sales manager for East Coast,explained why his company decided to buck the powerful industry lobby and pursue the opportunity presented by the CIW's agreements. Here's an extended excerpt:
"... Rather than fight with the rest of the industry, East Coast Growers decided in the last few weeks to drop out of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange... 'I would rather be unpopular with my competition and do the right thing,' said Batista Madonia Jr., sales manager for the family-owned company. 'I believe when you do the right thing for your worker, it gives you a better worker and a better company.' Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, said he was not familiar with the details of the agreement between East Coast and Chipotle. But that the the growers organization remains a voluntary one. `Everyone is free to make whatever business decision they choose to make,' Brown said. East Coast Growers was started in 1956 by Madonia's parents and has been based in central Florida for 30 years. The company describes itself as one of the top three tomato growers in the state, planting about 7,000 acres of tomatoes in Florida. East Coast also owns three packing houses in Florida, plus it has growing and packing operations in Virginia. Madonia said he is already in discussions with all of the other major fast-food chains about the ability to handle their business and implement the agreements with the CIW. While Chipotle is a small user of Florida tomatoes, Subway is the biggest user of all restaurants and Burger King would also be near the top. `If it brings me extra business that's great,' Madonia said. `If not, it still helps my workers live a better life and it doesn't cost me anything.' Madonia said he is working with the repacking houses on the mechanism for tracking how many tomatoes a worker has picked that are ultimately bought by Chipotle or any other restaurant chain. `Every farmer has always faced situations where people say it can't be done,' he said. `We always find a solution.' read the entire article here |
Tom Philpott of grist.org also weighed in on the news ("Large Florida grower steps up for workers," 9/10/09):
"... Two years ago, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, a cooperative representing the state’s industrial-scale tomato farms, balked. Perhaps stung by the workers’ success and emerging sense of power, the FTGE slammed the door shut on the raise. The group announced it would impose a draconian fine on any grower who passed on the penny per pound raise... ... And this is why the agreement with East Coast Growers and Packers is so significant. The operation is defying the FTGE and passing the raise directly to the workers. And the raise is significant. It will push the per-bucket rate from 50 cents to 82 cents—a 64 percent raise. And with mega-companies like McDonald’s directing their business to East Coast because of the deal, it seems likely that other growers will relent, too—and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange’s absurd campaign to block the raise will collapse." read the entire article here |
The grist.org article ended, as will this update, with this pointed bit of commentary:
A note on Chipotle Grill, which announced in a Tuesday press release that it had “reached an agreement with East Coast Farms, one of Florida’s largest tomato growers, under which workers who harvest tomatoes for Chipotle will receive an additional penny per pound.” Chipotle had come under fire, including from me, for its refusal to sign an agreement with the CIW. While the burrito chain should be commended for joining CIW and its previous signees’ efforts to push East Coast into accepting the raise, it’s puzzling that Chipotle would present this important agreement as a one-off deal between a large grower and one company. Happily, the East Coast agreement is much larger than that. |
Check back soon for more to come on this breaking news!
Update... More on the recent news: Gourmet Magazine, "Score one for farmworkers" (9/10/09):
"In a few weeks, the migrant workers who plant and harvest tomatoes will begin trickling back into Immokalee, Florida, to prepare the fields for the winter/spring season, as they have done every fall for decades. But this year, they will encounter something different. For the first time, a major Florida tomato producer, East Coast Growers and Packers, has implemented the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’(CIW) “Fair Food” program, breaking ranks with the dozen or so Florida companies that raise and ship most of the fresh tomatoes Americans eat during the cold months. The CIW’s initiative includes a one-penny-per-pound wage hike for workers (it might not sound like much, but it amounts to a 64 percent increase—the difference between poverty and a livable income) and a stringent code of fair labor practices..." read more |
September 10, 2009
At long last, a grower steps forward!
With the start of the new season only weeks away, East Coast Growers and Packers -- one of Florida's largest tomato growers -- has agreed to work with the CIW and food industry leaders to implement the CIW'S Fair Food agreements, including the penny-per-pound raise to harvesters, supply chain transparency, and a stringent code of conduct.
The agreements -- six in all, among them the world's four largest restaurant companies and the leading organic grocer -- had been held up for nearly two years by the resistance of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE), the powerful industry lobby.
"The past two years have been difficult, as farmworkers in Immokalee and throughout Florida have been stubbornly denied the benefits of the Fair Food agreements thanks to the FTGE," said Lucas Benitez of the CIW. "But we never stopped organizing, and during those two years some of the industry's largest buyers of tomatoes signed on to the agreements, creating an ever larger share of the market committed to purchasing tomatoes only from growers who agree to meet the higher standards called for by the CIW."
"We are extremely pleased that East Coast has shown the courage and the vision to seize on this tremendous opportunity and by so doing help lead the Florida tomato industry toward a fairer, more sustainable future," added Gerardo Reyes, also of the CIW. "We will be working closely with East Coast and our food industry partners in the coming weeks to ensure that we have an effective mechanism in place for passing the penny-per-pound to the workers and a solid plan for monitoring compliance with the code of conduct. There is still much work to be done but, at long last, we are working together, and when we work together -- farmworkers, growers, retailers, and consumers -- we can forge a relationship that will benefit all of us."
With a major grower now committed to implementing the CIW agreements, the Campaign for Fair Food turns to those companies that have remained on the sidelines, companies like Publix and Kroger, Sodexo and Aramark, Wendy's and Quizno's, Costco and WalMart.
The familiar excuses for inaction -- "we don't get involved in disputes between our suppliers and their employees," or "but there's no way to get the penny to the workers" -- no longer hold.
The question to those companies now is simple: Will your company support social responsibility? Will your company put its purchasing power behind those in the Florida tomato industry who are willing to do the right thing for their workers, or will you continue to support the growers who stand against progress?
The time for stalling is over. Now, to borrow a phrase, is the season for action.
September 7, 2009
Fair Food activists go into high gear in Publix campaign!
Farmworkers, allies celebrate Labor Day with bike tour in Sarasota, FL, to draw attention to grocery giant's continued inaction following latest slavery conviction...
This Labor Day, at the invitation of allies at the First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, several farmworkers from Immokalee along with allies from Interfaith Action ventured two hours north to take part in a unique demonstration -- a "Labor Day Freedom Ride"! Click here to check out a great video report on the ride, (from the Sarasota Herald Tribune).
The ride was a huge success. Across the state, CIW allies have been launching delegations to their local Publix groceries, asking to speak with managers about the company´s deafening silence in response to the human rights crisis in Florida´s tomato fields. What made the Labor Day action in Sarasota special, however, is that this delegation was done by bicycle, with almost two dozen people -- several members of the First Presbyterian Church, students from New College and deejays from community radio station WSLR, among others -- riding 10 miles to deliver letters to managers at Publix stores.
The ride started in the church parking lot, where Leonel Perez of the CIW explained to participants the significance of the agreements reached by the CIW with food industry leaders. He told those gathered about the unimaginable brutality of the recently prosecuted slavery operation, where farmworkers in Immokalee were locked in box trucks, beaten, stabbed, and physically restrained by their crewleaders. The enslaved men were taken to work on area tomato farms, including Florida tomato industry leaders Six L´s and Pacific.
In response, Whole Foods, who has signed an agreement with the CIW, moved to cut their purchases from Six L´s and Pacific, in keeping with the zero-tolerance provisions of the code of conduct created jointly with the CIW.
Publix, however -- as revealed in the produce section of its Longboat Key location, the final destination of the intrepid Labor Day bike delegation -- continues to purchase tomatoes from both Six L´s and Pacific (Leonel Perez of the CIW holds cartons of Six L's and Pacific tomatoes, above).
For more background on this developing campaign, click here. And stay tuned in the weeks ahead as plans for an action-packed fall come into focus!
Also... CIW makes the pages of the Huffington Post ("Labor Day Pains", 9/7/09). Here's an excerpt:
"... We want food that's healthy, safe, delicious, responsibly sourced and, everybody's favorite buzzword, sustainable. Sustainability means committing to practices that help the environment flourish, now and for generations to come. The immigrant labor force caring for and harvesting our food deserves the same treatment. What's the good of clean, organic food if it's harvested in filthy conditions? Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser has said, 'If there are organic tomatoes being picked by indentured servants, I'd rather not have the organic tomato.'"
Read the article in its entirety here.
September 2 , 2009
Publix sweetheart deal at taxpayer expense in Ft. Myers, Florida, comes under increasing scrutiny...
A columnist for the Ft. Myers News-Press took a strong stand this past week against the questionable use of taxpayer dollars in a time of economic crisis... and the recipient of the public largesse in question is none other than Florida supermarket giant Publix ("Ft. Myers in no shape to give Publix rent break," 8/28/09).
It seems that Publix -- which is "ranked No. 10 on Forbes' 2008 list of America's Largest Private Companies and is the largest (privately held company) in Florida" -- has been receiving free rent at a new downtown Ft. Myers location for two years now, at the rate of $50,000 per month. Now the company is looking to keep the taxpayer money flowing its way for another two years, for a total of another $1.15 million. We'll let Mr.Cook take it from here:
"Fort Myers is broke, yet the city's Community Redevelopment Agency may forgive Publix two more years of rent, which, based on the past two years, amounts to $1.15 million.
For those keeping score, Publix on West First Street was forgiven five years of rent two years ago when it opened.
A rent-free extension is preposterous - even for Fort Myers officials.
'From the beginning, the free rent was offensive,' says Councilman Warren Wright.
Why is a city $400 million in debt not charging rent to a for-profit grocery chain?..." read the column in its entirety here
It seems the sweetheart deal was struck to lure Publix to open a store in the downtown area of Ft. Myers as a means to encourage the neighborhood's further economic development. But according to the News-Press story, there is no indication that the downtown Publix is struggling, especially after Publix closed a nearby store the company had apparently promised to keep open:
"... While the CRA ponders Publix rent, resident Timothy Jones gives it food for thought.
'I don't think Publix is hurting,' says Jones, who owns property next door on Clifford Street. 'They're getting the old customers from the Cleveland Avenue location plus more from downtown.'
Jones says public money should not be used to sustain a failing business.
'I find it hard to believe this store is not profitable,' he says. 'The parking lot is full. Where is the evidence? The City Council should demand proof. Would they take my word if I was asking for a million bucks?'
Wright also reminds folks Publix speaks with a forked tongue.
'They promised the Publix on Cleveland Avenue wouldn't close, but it did,' Wright says. 'If they don't make enough money, they will pull out of the new one, too. Whatever happened to capitalism?'''
Tough questions for the company known as the "neighborhood grocer".
The questions may only get tougher when the Community Redevelopment Agency takes this into consideration...
August 30, 2009
Denver Fair Food activists to Chipotle: "We are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied," until Chipotle deals with CIW!
Plus: CIW wins 2009 WMNF Radio Peace and Justice Award!
When a delegation of local labor, student and community allies representing the Denver Fair Food Committee visited Chipotle corporate headquarters last week (right) to deliver over 16,000 signatures demanding that Chipotle enter into a genuine partnership with the CIW to address the human rights crisis in Florida's tomato fields, they were met wtih what can only be described as studied indifference.
See the Denver Fair Food blog report here, including video from the visit.
The blog report quoted the Chipotle representative, who told the delegation, "We are working with the CIW... OK, maybe not to their satisfaction, but we are working with them."
To paraphrase a recent president, that depends on what the meaning of the word "with" is.
But we'll let the Denver crew respond, who, as always, nail it:
"... In one of his most famous speeches, MLK stated: “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’” To which he reponded: “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors . . . as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity . . . No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’”
Likewise, today the CIW cannot be satisfied with the actions Chipotle has taken in response to the dire crisis faced by farmworkers. Farmworkers deserve a fair wage, and none of us can be satisfied as long as Chipotle refuses to guarantee that it will not back out of its commitment to contributing to one. Farmworkers have a fundamental right to have a voice in the industry of which they are a part, and we will never be satisfied as long as Chipotle denies them the ability to participate in the decisions which impact their lives. Proctecting the rights of farmworkers is not possible without transparency about purchasers’ business practices, and we cannot be satisfied while Chipotle continues to meet us with only secrecy and closed doors. We cannot be satisfied with Chipotle’s response any more than we can ever tolerate the existence of poverty, exploitation and slavery..." read the entire post here
CIW wins 2009 WMNF "Peace and Justice Award"!...
This past Saturday, the CIW was honored to receive the 2009 WMNF Peace and Justice Award! The award was presented in front of a crowd of nearly 300 at a sold-out ceremony in Tampa.
WMNF -- a nationally-recognized community radio station based in Tampa, part of the Pacifica radio network -- has long been a supporter of the CIW and the Campaign for Fair Food. WMNF staffers even played an integral role in the creation of our own low-power radio station, Radio Conciencia, driving the 2.5 hours from Tampa to deliver an all-important sound board.
In his acceptance speech, CIW's Lucas Benítez thanked WMNF for its years of support and brought the crowd to its feet with an announcement that the campaign has set its sights on Publix Supermarket, which is headquartered a mere hour away from Tampa in Lakeland, FL.
We thank WMNF for this great honor, and look forward to spending more time with our old and new Tampa allies as the Publix campaign heats up.
August 27, 2009
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Senator Kennedy greets the CIW's Lucas Benitez during last year's hearing on farmworker exploitation in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committtee. |
A Farmworker Champion Passes...
Yesterday, farmworkers across the country lost a true friend. The Coalition issued this statement:
"Sin duda alguna hoy hemos perdido un gran lider del senado y de esta nación. Siempre usó su voz y su poder para dar aliento a las causas justas de los mas necestidados no solamente en los Estados Unidos pero alrededor del mundo. Hoy la gran comunidad de trabajadores agricolas de Immokalee hemos perdido un aliado, pero nos deja su legado de compromiso y perseverancia para lograr lo que uno se propone para hacer un mundo mas justo para todos. No podemos pensar en un reconocimiento mas apropiado de que el bil de salud por cual el tanto lucho en su últimos dias sea firmado y nombrado en honor a el. Hoy unimos nuestros pensamientos y nuestras oraciones junto a su familia y amigos para que Dios le de el descanso eterno. Descanse en paz, Edward."
-- Lucas Benitez y Romeo Ramirez, laureados del 2003 del Premio RFK por los Derechos Humanos, y todos los miembros de la Coalición de Trabajadores de Immokalee
"There is no doubt that today we have lost one of the great leaders of the Senate and this nation. He always used his voice and position to give strength to the just causes of those in greatest need, not just in the United States but around the world. Today the community of farmworkers in Immokalee has lost a great ally, but one who left us with his legacy of commitment and perseverance to continue fighting until we've achieved a more just world. We can think of no more appropriate recognition of his life's work than that the health care bill for which he fought so hard in his last days be voted into law and named in his honor. Today we join with his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers in hoping that God grants him eternal rest. May you rest in peace, Edward."
-- 2003 RFK Human Rights Awards laureates Lucas Benitez and Romeo Ramirez and the members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
August 24, 2009
Chipotle all a-"Twitter" over new petition!
American Rights @ Work's Chipotle petition "top Twitter petition of the month"
ALSO: "Fresh" director signs the letter to Chipotle!
On August 10, American Rights @ Work launched a Twitter petition to Chipotle through the Twitter petition site http://act.ly.
The petition quickly went viral. With 331 Tweets so far, it remains act.ly's top performing Twitter petition of the month -- and one of the top performing Twitter petitions of all time!
Due to the high number of tweets, Chipotle noticed the petition right away. Just two days later, on August 12, Chipotle PR Spokesman Chris Arnold responded to the petition, tweeting:
"Have we cut a deal w/ CIW? No. But we're working w/ them, & should have growers who will pay more when we buy FL tomatoes."
Here's what American Rights @ Work had to say about Mr. Arnold's curious notion of "working w/" the CIW:
"Sadly, their response is more of the same. Chipotle can't claim they are 'working with' the CIW, while at the same time refusing to come to the table and even discuss signing an agreement. It takes two sides to work together, not one side unilaterally dictating terms.
As we've said before, let’s assume that Chipotle is sincere about its commitment to “Food with Integrity.” Let’s assume that Chipotle truly wants to be the leader in supply chain accountability with respect to human rights in the restaurant industry. If those things are true, then why in the world would Chipotle not seek to forge a true and respectful partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers?"
You too can support the AR@W petition. Signing is a great way to show your support. Be sure to ask your friends to sign by re-tweeting, too! You can sign the Twitter petition in 2 clicks by going to http://act.ly/do.
Or, just tweet the following text to sign & ask your friends to do the same:
petition @ChipotleMedia to treat farmworkers who pick #Chipotle veggies with integrity http://act.ly/do (retweet to sign the petition). Thanks!
"Fresh" director signs the letter to Chipotle!
Ana Joanes, director of "Fresh," the other documentary out this summer that "celebrates the farmers, thinkers, and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system," has added her name to the Chipotle letter! Check out the trailer to the film here:
August 10, 2009
Action Alert: Call Chipotle today!
From our friends at American Rights @ Work:
"Since we first launched our campaign, more than 10,000 activists [editor's note: the number is actually 15,000 as of today!] have urged Chipotle to stand up for exploited Florida farmworkers. People around the country have been calling on Chipotle to live up to its "food with integrity" promise -- and now they've taken their demands to the streets, protesting in front of film screenings sponsored by Chipotle.
Can you support the efforts of these demonstrators by making a quick toll-free call to Chipotle's corporate headquarters? Just follow these easy steps:
1. Call Chipotle toll-free at 1-888-899-0017.
2. Tell the person who picks up that you want Chipotle to live up to its "food with integrity" promise by standing up for Florida farmworkers. You can also add:* The Florida workers who pick Chipotle's tomatoes have one of the worst jobs in America, with sub-poverty wages, back-breaking labor, and unimaginable exploitation.
* It's time for Chipotle to join in a formal agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers -- a widely respected farmworker organization and a leader in the field of human rights.
* Partnering with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers will ensure the workers who pick Chipotle's tomatoes are treated fairly and paid a living wage.3. IMPORTANT: After you call, click here and tell us how it went."
So call Chipotle today, it's a quick, easy, and important way to tell them you care about the human rights of the workers who pick their tomatoes. And check back soon for news from Denver, the home of Chipotle's corporate headquarters, as members of the Denver Fair Food Committee prepare to hand deliver the 15,000 signatures to company executives in the coming days!July 30, 2009
CIW and Interfaith Action take message of fair wages and human rights directly to local Publix managers!...
This past weekend, CIW and Interfaith Action members visited several Publix stores in Southwest Florida to take their message of fair wages and human rights directly to local managers. CIW members explained to the managers the conditions they endure daily in the fields, including sub-poverty wages that have not risen significantly in over thirty years, as well as the rash of modern-day slavery cases that arise from these conditions. The managers listened intently, some even reading the entire letter on the spot.
Visit the Interfaith Action site for a full report on the weekend's visits, and while you're there, download a copy or two of the letter and drop it off at your own local Publix!
Post-mortem of a PR debacle...
The week in review: In the press release ahead of last week’s free screenings of the documentary “Food, Inc.,” Chipotle CEO Steve Ells said:
"I hope that all our customers see this film. The more they know about where their food comes from, the more they will appreciate what we do."
It’s an admirable goal – with ever more perfect information about how their food is raised and grown, more and more consumers will opt to buy food that is ethically produced.
Unfortunately, it’s a goal that Chipotle has failed to achieve. In fact, it seems that there are limits on just how much Chipotle would like you to know about where its food comes from, and those limits are strictly enforced.
As many readers of this site already know, Fair Food activists appeared at Chipotle-sponsored screenings across the country to inform moviegoers about the brutal labor conditions in Florida’s tomato fields. They also invited audiences to sign a letter calling Chipotle out for refusing to join with the CIW in a genuine partnership to improve labor conditions for Florida’s farmworkers. The letter has been signed by more than two dozen well-known food justice writers and activists, including the director and co-producer of “Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, respectively.
But at several theaters, CIW supporters were met by unhappy Chipotle representatives who – and there’s really no other way to put this -- did their best to muzzle them. Nowhere was their reception more inhospitable than in Denver, Chipotle’s hometown, where company representatives got CIW supporters thrown out of the theater. But it wasn’t only there. Fair Food activists were harassed in several others cities, including Baltimore, Washington DC, and Kansas City, where one CIW supporter was actually reduced to tears.
The chatter on food and social justice blogs since has been non-stop (see the latest here). For a week after the screenings, PR blowback was in full effect for Chipotle, and for good reason. You can’t ask consumers to seek out information about the story behind their food and then silence activists who want to provide it. If Chipotle has nothing to hide, why was it showing farmworker advocates the door?
Where to go from here: So, what are the lessons from last week’s debacle? Let’s assume that Chipotle is sincere about its commitment to “Food with Integrity.” Let’s assume that Chipotle truly wants to be the leader in supply chain accountability with respect to human rights in the restaurant industry.
If those things are true, then why in the world would Chipotle not seek to forge a true and respectful partnership with the CIW?
If the folks at Chipotle were experts on farm labor issues in Florida, then their refusal to work with the CIW might make some sense. But Chipotle clearly has a lot to learn on the subject. Case in point: While the CIW was helping federal authorities investigate and prosecute the latest slavery case, in which crews held in slavery picked tomatoes for the Immokalee-based tomato giant Six L’s, Chipotle was buying tomatoes from Six L’s. True, Chipotle eventually stopped buying tomatoes from Six L’s, but only after the CIW informed them about the company’s relationship to the slavery case.
So, practically speaking, Chipotle’s best hope for eliminating farm labor abuses in it supply chain lies in working with the CIW, with the workers who are in the fields every day. Chipotle simply cannot go it alone and expect to achieve the same results.
But it’s more than that. You see, philosophically speaking, people are not pigs. You can raise standards for pigs, but to raise farm labor standards, you have to do it with farmworkers.
And that means that the human beings whose fundamental rights are violated on a daily basis in Florida’s fields must be an equal and active part of the solution.
It’s pretty simple, really.
We believe Chipotle can and should be the leader in the fast-food industry for human rights, as well as animal rights. That means listening to criticism, giving workers a voice in the workplace, and going beyond verbal promises to end brutal working conditions in the tomato fields of Florida.
For some reason Chipotle still refuses to do what other companies committed to sustainability -- Whole Foods, Bon Appetit – have done: work with the CIW to define industry-leading standards for farmworker rights. And Chipotle’s behavior falls short even when compared to its mainstream rivals in the fast-food industry, like Taco Bell, Burger King, and McDonald’s. How will Chipotle’s customers feel when they know about those facts?
Mr. Ells, it’s never too late to reverse a bad decision. We’re ready when you are.July 23, 2009
Dean of the food justice press corps pens definitive post on Chipotle PR fiasco...
Tom Philpott, grist.org: "Chipotle grilled -- Burrito chain’s Food, Inc. sponsorship generates off-screen drama over farm-worker issues"
While investment and food bloggers tiptoed around Chipotle's failed efforts to hitch its brand to the hard-hitting new documentary "Food, Inc." (scroll down to the following story for more on the blogosphere's collective thumbs down for the fast-food giant), it took a true food justice blogger to get the full story, including powerful quotes from everyone involved in the convoluted drama.
Tom Philpott's story, posted today on grist.org, is a must-read. Here's an extended excerpt, with quotes from Eric Schlosser and Robert Kenner, co-producer and director, respectively, of "Food, Inc.":
"As for Schlosser and Kenner, as you might expect from writer/filmmaker types, they have strong opinions. Schlosser wrote the following in an email:
I like the food at Chipotle. I think their efforts on behalf of sustainability, animal welfare, and the misuse of antibiotics are terrific. But I care more about human rights than any of those things.
If Taco Bell, Subway, Burger King, and McDonald’s can reach agreement with the CIW, I don’t see why Chipotle can’t. It will not cost much—and it will help to end human trafficking in Florida.
Although I’m grateful for the support that Chipotle has given to Food, Inc., my views haven’t changed since I signed that letter.
Kenner took a similar position in a phone conversation. He said he admires Chipotle’s commitment to sustainability—in fact, he seriously considered featuring it in Food, Inc. as an example of a large player that’s “moving in the right direction.” “I don’t regret that they’re sponsoring the film,” he emphasized.
But he made clear that he disagreed with the company’s position on the CIW. “In a sense, the film is really about workers's rights,” he said. “People are aware that animals are being abused [in the food system]. There’s a lot less consciousness about workers.”
The story concludes:
"Ironically, by embracing Food, Inc., Chipotle is highlighting the whole vexed issue of how America treats the people who harvest and prepare its food—which is exactly what Kenner intended the film to do in the first place." don't miss the rest of this must-read post
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A giant has passed: On a sad -- and decidedly less serious note -- a giant of the food industry has passed. Today came the unhappy news that Gidget, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, died at age 15 in Los Angeles.
Many will recognize Gidget from her countless "Yo quiero Taco Bell" commercials, but few realize that, late in her career, she turned her back on the fast-food giant and joined the growing call for not just fast, but fair food.
That's right, like the actor who portrayed the Marlboro man who campaigned against the tobacco companies before his untimely death from lung cancer, Gidget switched allegiances and joined the movement to reform the food industry and demand full respect for human rights in the fields where fast-food tomatoes are picked.
She even posed for several photos (above) on this website -- many, many years ago -- to accompany a post that took a critical look at Taco Bell's PR strategy and the company's somewhat cynical perspective on its younger customers at the time. We provide a link to that post today, so that those who remember Gidget for the good that she did with her immense talent -- and not her early days when she was young and new to Hollywood -- can take a moment to reflect on her memory, and on how far Taco Bell and the rest of the food industry have come thanks, in part, to her selfless efforts.July 22, 2009
Blowback: Chipotle's ride on "Food, Inc." coattails not exactly a hit in the blogosphere...
Mainstream investor blog "The Motley Fool": "Let's just hope that if the company supports any similar efforts in the future, it'll first make sure it's truly ready for its close-up."
As reports continue to flood in from theaters around the country of the blowback from Chipotle's latest PR gambit, including the photo above from Fair Food allies in New York City, the blogosphere has weighed in on the wisdom of Chipotle's decision to sponsor the hard-hitting new documentary, "Food Inc."
Here are some choice words from our own friends at the Denver Fair Food blog on their experience at the Denver screening:
"The Campaign for Fair Food and the new documentary "Food, Inc." share – by any objective observation – a common vision and common struggle. "Food, Inc." is an urgent call to create a more just and sustainable food system while the Campaign for Fair Food has a broad network of people working on the ground to do just that.
The Campaign is seeking to raise awareness of the exploitation of farmworkers occurring in the shadows of our corporate-controlled food system – precisely the types of issues that "Food, Inc." exposes...
These facts also explain why members of Denver Fair Food arranged with the local theater and Food, Inc.’s national public education campaign so that we could table and speak briefly with the audience before a film screening.
What it doesn’t explain is why when we arrived at the theater a peppy young woman with a talent for faux-niceness told us that we would not be allowed to speak before the audience or to set up a table...
As you may have guessed already, the woman who kicked us out worked not for Food, Inc. or the theater but for Chipotle. You see, Chipotle rented the theater that night – one of 32 free screenings of the film that it sponsored around the country – and did not want us pointing out the obvious contradiction between its sponsorship and its disregard for the worth and dignity of the women and men who harvest its tomatoes." read more about their experience at the Chipotle-sponsored screening here
But more mainstream blogs were not particularly kind to Chipotle for the risky decision, either. The investment blog "The Motley Fool" had this to say:
"Unfortunately, there's a chance that Chipotle's efforts to promote Food Inc. could give the company a bit of indigestion. Chipotle's been receiving broadsides from many critics, including Schlosser, regarding its compensation practices for Florida's tomato-farm workers... Giving the film such prominent promotion could call attention to the chain's own alleged failings... Let's just hope that if the company supports any similar efforts in the future, it'll first make sure it's truly ready for its close-up." read more
Still, the writers at The Motley Fool were confident that consumers would ultimately overlook the contradiction and buy into Chipotle's "Food with Integrity" hype...
Maybe they're right, but the thousands of consumers who attended the Chipotle-sponsored screenings certainly didn't look past the hypocrisy, as evidenced by another blog post, this one on thedailygreen ("the consumers guide to the green revolution"). The writer was posting about the film, not about Chipotle, but couldn't ignore the copy of the food justice leaders' open letter to Chipotle he received at the free screening, writing, "Activists were passing out copies of the letter in front of the theater, an odd juxtaposition to the free screening and the presentation of Chipolte's own literature."
What do we think? We're pretty confident about how this story will ultimately turn out, but today we'll give the last words to our friends at the Denver Fair Food blog:
"Chipotle can certainly try as it will to shut us up but it would do better to heed the words of Victor Hugo: “no army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come.” "
The "Battle of the Burrito" rages on in cities across the country!
Chipotle sponsors free screenings of the hit new documentary "Food, Inc.";
Fair Food activists crash the burrito giant's PR party, bring truth about labor conditions in Chipotle's tomato supply chain to moviegoers from Berkeley to Baltimore...
Click here to see the full photo report!
And read below ("Demand Chipotle show farmworkers the same respect they show small farmers") for the whole story on the nation-wide action.July 15, 2009
"Demand Chipotle show farmworkers the same respect they show small farmers!"
Chipotle hitches a ride on coattails of hit documentary "Food, Inc.," sponsors free screenings in theaters across the country; Campaign for Fair Food allies there to remind moviegoers of reality behind the "Food with Integrity" hype...
Never one to do a good deed quietly, Chipotle and its crack PR department recognized a golden opportunity to promote the company's brand by hitching its wagon to the hit new documentary "Food, Inc.,". Chipotle sponsored screenings across the country that were made free to the public -- a nice little targeted advertising coup for the company, really, when you consider the less precise and more pricey option of network commercial time.
Just one hitch, however... The director, Robert Kenner, and co-producer, Eric Schlosser, of "Food, Inc." joined more than two dozen food justice leaders in signing a sharply-worded letter to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells just last month. After years of uncontested claims of "Food with Integrity," all the while buying tomatoes just like any other fast-food giant, Chipotle executives probably figured they could get away with one more glaring contradiction.
But not this time. In theaters across the country, Campaign for Fair Food allies rallied, demanding Chipotle show farmworkers the same respect they show small farmers and stop stiff-arming the CIW!
Moviegoers were shown the letter -- signed by Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser, Will Allen (Growing Power), Frances Moore Lappe ("Diet for a Small Planet"), Raj Patel ("Stuffed and Starved"), Josh Viertel (President, Slow Food USA), and two dozen other leaders of the sustainable food movement -- which reads in part:
"We realize that Chipotle has announced that it's paying an extra penny per pound for tomatoes, but we have to ask: What has Chipotle done since that announcement to identify and cultivate growers who are willing to raise their labor standards and pass the penny along to their workers? Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with – and incubating – meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry – together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change."
Those attending the screening were also given the opportunity to add their names to the letter, which hundreds did, joining nearly 10,000 people across the country who have already signed via the email action by American Rights @ Work. Soon all those signatures will be delivered in person to Chipotle corporate headquarters by our friends at Denver Fair Food.
If you haven't told Chipotle to join in a true partnership with the CIW and use its influence to end farmworker exploitation today, you can click here to add your name to the letter to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells today!July 13, 2009
Sacrificing farmworkers on the altar of health reform?
No matter where you might fall in the current debate about health care reform in this country, if you're reading this site, you probably don't think that farmworkers should be excluded from whatever solution ultimately emerges from Washington.
One idea behind health reform is that all large employers will have to offer health insurance to their employees or pay into a fund to support affordable insurance.
So, this could be a good thing for the tens of thousands of impoverished farmworkers who put food on our tables, right? Not if Sen. Hagan of North Carolina has her way.
Sen. Hagan has introduced an amendment to the Senate health bill (the Affordable Health Choices Act) that would not count “temporary or seasonal agricultural workers . . . for the purposes of determining the size of an employer.” Of course, if you don’t count the people who actually pick the crops, huge corporate farms all of the sudden look like small employers who don’t have to offer insurance.
When the National Labor Relations Act was passed during the last Depression, farmworkers were sacrificed on the altar of labor rights, excluded from the protected right to organize in exchange for the votes of southern Democrats. To this day they lack the protections that virtually all other American workers enjoy. Now Sen. Hagan wants to sacrifice the health of the next generation of farmworkers.
If you think farmworkers, who work in the most dangerous industry in this country other than mining, ought to have the same access to health care as other people who work for large employers, you should call Sen. Hagan and let her know. Here's how:
Call the Capitol Switchboard and ask for
Sen. Hagan’s office, 202-224-3121
July 2, 2009
Unitarian Universalist Church to Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw: "As the Chief Executive officer of a large corporation, you have the opportunity... to end the human rights abuses and sub-poverty wages faced by the workers who pick the tomatoes sold in your stores."
Faith communities across Florida -- from the Jewish community in Miami to Catholics on Marco Island -- are making their voices heard at the Lakeland, Florida, headquarters of grocery giant Publix.
And as part of the rising religious call for Publix to support full human rights for Florida's farmworkers, Rev. Allison Farnum of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ft. Myers wrote a powerfully-worded letter to Publix CEO ED Crenshaw. Here's an excerpt:
"As the Chief Executive officer of a large corporation, you have the opportunity to to set a precedent by calling to end the human rights abuses and sub-poverty wages faced by the workers who pick the tomatoes sold in your stores. Departed are the days when we could point fingers at others and abdicate responsibility. As many political critics remind us, we cannot rely on the government to do everything for us. That includes taking a stand against injustice in Florida's tomato fields. Publix continues to purchase tomatoes from both Pacific Tomato Growers and Six L's, despite the fact that workers who worked on those farms have been held against their will." Read the letter in its entirety here!
Cick here to read more about Publix and the latest slavery case from Florida's fields.
And you can join in calling on Publix to improve wages and conditions for those who pick their tomatoes. Click here to download a letter you can deliver to to the manager of your local Publix
June 29, 2009
Take Action: Tell Chipotle to stop stiff-arming farmworkers!
Last week, leaders of the food justice movement -- including Eric Schlosser and Robert Kenner, producer and director of the hard-hitting new documentary "Food, Inc." -- sent a strongly-worded letter to Chipotle demanding that they "work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers' rights."
Now it's your turn to get in on the action! Click here to add your name to the letter to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells demanding real "food with integrity" and an end to the human rights crisis in Florida's tomato fields in an email action sponsored by our friends at American Rights at Work.June 22, 2009
Dictionary: hy·poc·ri·sy
1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness
Dictionary: Chi·poc·ri·sy...
The phenomenon known as "Chipocrisy" was in the news this past week, beginning with the June 15th open letter by more than two dozen leading sustainable food activists calling on Chipotle to live up to its claims of "Food with Integrity" and "work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers' rights."
But it didn't stop there. Also last week, the ABC news show "Nightline" did a piece on Chipotle's relationship with Polyface Farms, a model sustainable farm in Virginia that, in the words of owner Joel Salatin, "fully respects and honors the pigness of the pig."
In the same Nightline story, Chipotle CEO Steve Ells professed, "I think it's really important that people know where their food comes from. I mean we spend a lot of time researching the very best sources, so that when people go to Chipotle, they can rest assured they are getting the very best food."
Really? The Nightline piece, while valuable for shedding light on Mr. Salatin's admirable operation, was incomplete, and therefore deeply flawed. By allowing Mr. Ells to effectively direct the spotlight, the story revealed only that part of Chipotle's supply chain that the company wished to showcase, creating the impression of an ethical restaurant company that indeed earns its claim to "Food with Integrity."
If, however, Nightline had only turned that same spotlight on the fields where Chipotle's tomatoes are picked, perhaps it would have found that the "humanness" of the men and women who pick those tomatoes isn't afforded the same honor or respect.
This might be a good moment to quote a relevant passage from last week's impeccably-timed sustainable food movement letter to Mr. Ells:
"... (F)or us, naturally raised meat – important as it is – does not trump decently treated human beings... Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with – and incubating – meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry – together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change."
Chipotle's failure to live up to the virtues it professes to hold dear was not lost, however, on one Denver-based blogger last week. Writing on the Denver Fair Food blog, "Robert" noted that, on its corporate website, Chipotle strongly recommends that its customers read Eric Schlosser's hard-hitting analysis of the fast-food industry's ills, "Fast Food Nation". The contradiction was too much to stomach for the Fair Food blogger, who undoes Chipotle's claims to sustainability using a series of quotes by none other than Mr. Schlosser himself. His conclusion is withering, and it shall be our conclusion here as well:
"... It’s abundantly obvious. Quoting Eric again: 'the exploitation of farm workers should not be tolerated in Florida. It should not be tolerated anywhere in the United States. There are many social problems that are extremely difficult to solve. This is not one of them.' Plain and simple, the solution is for Chipotle to work in partnership with the CIW. That’s been Eric’s demand of fast-food companies for a long time and that’s his demand explicitly of Chipotle today.
It’s funny really, Chipotle isn’t listening to the guy that Chipotle recommends everyone listen to. Chipotle’s “further reading” is demanding that Chipotle go further, and yet Chipotle refuses to take its own advice. This is a phenomenon that’s become so common place we have a name for it: Chipocrisy.
That’s the thing about further reading – sometimes you end up eating your words."
Read the Denver Fair Food blog post in its entirety hereJune 16, 2009
Food justice leaders to Chipotle: "We view the CIW’s struggle for dignity as a non-negotiable part of the struggle for a sustainable food system."
"Food, Inc." director (Robert Kenner) and co-producer (Eric Schlosser) join more than two dozen sustainable food movement leaders in open letter to burrito giant Chipotle!
In a strongly worded letter, more than two dozen of the country's leading sustainable food activists are demanding that Chipotle, the fastest growing company in fast-food, live up to its claims of "Food with Integrity" and "work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers' rights."
Frances Moore Lappe ("Diet for a Small Planet"), Raj Patel ("Stuffed and Starved"), Josh Viertel (President, Slow Food USA), and Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser (director and co-producer, respectively, of the critically acclaimed new documentary on the food industry, "Food, Inc.") are just a few of the voices for a more just food system that added their names to the open letter. Here's an excerpt:
"We realize that Chipotle has announced that it's paying an extra penny per pound for tomatoes, but we have to ask: What has Chipotle done since that announcement to identify and cultivate growers who are willing to raise their labor standards and pass the penny along to their workers? Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with – and incubating – meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry – together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change."
The letter comes in the wake of last week's news of an important breakthrough in the Campaign for Fair Food -- Whole Foods' announcement that two of Florida's leading organic producers, Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms, will implement the company's agreement with the CIW, including the penny-per-pound wage increase and a strict code of conduct.
Click here to see the letter in its entirety and the full list of signatories!June 8, 2009
"A Tale of Two Groceries"...
Publix, Whole Foods taking sharply different approaches to farm labor injustice in tomato supply chain
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times;... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair;..."
"Immokalee workers turn eye toward Publix," Ft. Myers News-Press 6/5/09
"Editorial: Publix should back tomato workers' fight," News-Press 6/6/09
The oft-quoted opening paragraph of the Charles Dickens classic "A Tale of Two Cities" provides a remarkably apt frame for a reflection on the different responses by supermarket giants Whole Foods and Publix to the revelation of slavery and other forms of extreme exploitation in Florida's tomato fields.
This past winter, headlines across Florida told of unimaginably brutal conditions on a labor camp in Immokalee where workers were forced to pick tomatoes against their will, had their pay stolen week after week, and were beaten, chained and locked inside box trucks so that they wouldn't escape overnight. In late December, as most people gathered with friends and family for the holiday season, one of the workers, Mariano Lucas Diego, testified at the sentencing hearing in Ft. Myers' federal court, saying these achingly simple words to Judge John E. Steele, "Bosses should not beat up the people who work with them."
With the sentencing of his bosses to 12 years in federal prison, Mariano Lucas Diego's "winter of despair" came to an end. And thanks to his suffering, farmworkers in Immokalee and throughout Florida saw, for the first time, signs of a "spring of hope." That's because this latest slavery case was the first slavery case involving tomatoes to have been prosecuted since the CIW had established supplier codes of conduct with five major food retailers, codes that included "zero tolerance" provisions for forced labor.
The same article on the farm bosses' sentencing that quoted Mariano Lucas Diego also identified two farms that used the workers being held against their will -- Six L's and Pacific Tomato Growers. The identification of the growers where the enslaved workers picked tomatoes triggered responses by all five of the companies that had signed agreements with the CIW.
As a result, Whole Foods, the first grocery store chain to have reached an agreement with the CIW only months earlier, cut-off purchases from Six L's and Pacific.
Also, Whole Foods began aggressively courting alternative suppliers, growers willing to go against the grain of Florida's tightly-controlled tomato industry, growers willing to implement the terms of the CIW's agreement with the organic supermarket leader. And just last week, news came of a breakthrough -- Whole Foods had reached an agreement with two of Florida's leading organic producers, Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms. As Tom Wilson of Alderman Farms told the produce industry journal The Packer:
“Whole Foods has a lot of excitement for this program, to do it right,” said Tom Wilson, an Alderman Farms salesman. “We listened to what they said and how they will support the program. In that light, we felt it was the right thing to do. More and more people will be doing this.” Read more
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Meanwhile, at Publix (the country's largest privately owned grocery chain, with revenues in 2008 of $23.9 billion) it seems that nothing has changed, despite last winter's disturbing look behind the scenes at the brutal conditions facing Florida's farmworkers.
In an article published in last Friday's Ft. Myers News-Press, it was revealed that both Senator Dick Durbin and United Methodist Church Bishop Timothy Whitaker had asked Publix to join other food industry leaders in supporting the Campaign for Fair Food, to which Publix responded icily, "we respectfully decline the opportunity to participate in this program."
But not only that. The same article revealed that Publix continues to purchase tomatoes from Pacific Tomato Growers. And photos (right) taken just days ago at a Publix store in Ft. Myers leave no doubt that Six L's also remains one of the grocery giant's tomato suppliers (bottom right of label clearly shows the "Six L's" logo).
That's two for two.
Indeed, when asked about slavery in its supply chain, a Publix spokesperson appeared to take the position that the company has little or no role to play in policing its own suppliers. Shannon Patten of Publix told the News-Press, "We are confident that Governor Crist and Florida's law enforcement agencies will work tirelessly to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from our great state."
As the CIW's Lucas Benitez told the News-Press:
"In its commercials, Publix likes to cast itself as Florida's community grocer - the good neighbor. But how can you be a good neighbor when people are ... forced to work as slaves and robbed of their hard-earned pay in your own backyard, and you turn a blind eye?
"Instead they continue to buy their tomatoes from one of the farms where workers held against their will picked tomatoes." Read more
Dickens wrote "A Tale of Two Cities" as a cautionary tale for the aristocracy of England, holding the brutality of the French Revolution up as an example of what might await the British upper classes if they remained blind to the social injustices of their times. In Book 3 of the serial novel he wrote:
"Crush humanity out of shape once more, under similar hammers, and it will twist itself into the same tortured forms. Sow the same seed of rapacious licence and oppression over again, and it will surely yield the same fruit according to its kind."
In this Tale of Two Groceries, we will close with the words of a modern-day voice for social justice, the editorial writer at the Ft. Myers News-Press, who wrote this weekend:
"Farmworker mistreatment is an ancient sin against the hardworking people who put food on our tables. A concerted effort to end it, including farmworker advocacy groups, and religious, political and law enforcement leaders and now some retailers and agribusinesses has finally evolved.
Whole Foods joined the fight because it reflected the company's "core values." The same should be true of a leading company like Publix." Read more
June 5, 2009
"Florida growers join Whole Foods to support labor coalition"
Yesterday's announcement brings strong reaction as the press, two U.S. senators, and the food industry weigh in...
From the Associated Press and MSNBC to the produce industry weekly "The Packer," coverage of yesterday's announcement was widespread and positive. Here are a few of the highlights:
- The Packer “Whole Foods has a lot of excitement for this program, to do it right,” said Tom Wilson, an Alderman Farms salesman. “We listened to what they said and how they will support the program. In that light, we felt it was the right thing to do. More and more people will be doing this.” Read more
- Associated Press (New York Post): "If all Florida tomatoes purchasers joined the penny deal, the farmworkers could nearly double their earnings. The idea is that the national restaurant and grocery chains that have the deep pockets pay the extra money, including administrative costs, and the farmers pass it on to the workers when they receive their checks." Read more
- And this cheeky little commentary from MSNBC: "The one chain the CIW hasn't been able to entice over to the light side is Chipotle, which has been tsk tsked for responding with a snubby 'thanks, but no thanks.' C'mon, Chipotle, your burritos are overpriced as it is, what's a few more cents?" Read more
But the media and the Campaign for Fair Food's Senate allies were not alone in remarking on yesterday's big news (scroll down for statements from Senators Dick Durbin and Bernie Sanders). The broader food industry took notice, as well. Here's a statement from Bon Appetit CEO Fedele Bauccio (shown here on right with the CIW's Lucas Benitez during a recent visit to Immokalee), who may well be the next major buyer to support Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms for supporting farmworkers:
"The agreement between Whole Foods Market and Alderman and Lady Moon Farms proves that there are growers in Florida interested in doing the right thing. At Bon Appétit Management Company we're heartened by this news and feel optimistic that we will be able to source tomatoes from Florida that have been picked by workers that are treated with respect and paid a fair wage commensurate with the difficult job they are performing."
Stay tuned as reaction to this important new development continues to come in!June 4, 2009
Stalemate broken -- two Florida growers move to implement CIW agreement with Whole Foods!
Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms, two of Florida's largest organic growers, officially onboard to pass penny-per-pound on to workers, meet strict labor standards...
Senators Durbin, Sanders issue statements on the new agreements...
In a press statement released today, Whole Foods has confirmed that two of Florida's largest organic growers have agreed to implement the principles of the Campaign for Fair Food, effectively breaking the stalemate established nearly two seasons ago when the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange threatened to fine any of its members that sold tomatoes under the terms of the CIW agreements. At that time, two Florida growers who had been passing on the penny-per-pound increase under the Taco Bell agreement ceased doing so.
Here's the press release, followed by statements by Senators Durbin (IL) and Sanders (VT):
Florida Tomato Growers Sign Agreement with Whole Foods Market supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) “Penny-per-Pound” Program
Lady Moon Farms and Alderman Farms are First in Florida to Join Effort to Improve Worker Wages & Working Conditions
AUSTIN, TX (June 4, 2009) – Whole Foods Market, the leading natural and organic foods supermarket announced today that Florida tomato growers Lady Moon Farms and Alderman Farms are the first to sign agreements with Whole Foods Market supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ “penny-per-pound” program designed to improve wages for tomato harvesters.
“Lady Moon and Alderman Farms are examples of Florida growers that Whole Foods Market is proud to support” said Karen Christensen, Global Produce Coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “These farms are long term partners of Whole Foods Market and we look forward to continued growth together. Agreements like these are consistent with Whole Foods Markets’ core values and are in the best interest of the people who harvest our tomatoes.”
"The Campaign for Fair Food is bearing fruit,” said Lucas Benitez of the CIW. “For nearly two seasons, the Campaign’s promise of fair wages for Florida's farmworkers has been held hostage by the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange. Today, however, the higher wages and fairer conditions we have fought for will begin to reach the workers who so clearly deserve them, thanks to the leadership of Whole Foods Market and the forward thinking growers at Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms."
"Without a doubt, the food market is changing, and for the better. Sustainability, social as well as environmental, is the way of the future," continued Benitez. "Together we -- as farmworkers, farmers, and buyers -- are forging a path toward that better future."
In September 2008, Whole Foods Market became the first in the supermarket industry to sign an agreement with the CIW to work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers.
END
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Quote from Senator Dick Durbin:
"I applaud Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms for recognizing that treating workers fairly and paying a better wage isn't bad for business but rather the best way to ensure the long-term success of Florida’s tomato growers. Whole Foods should also be congratulated for its leadership in demanding higher standards from its suppliers. All Florida tomato growers should follow the example set today and join with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in bringing fairer wages and more humane working conditions to all of Florida's tomato harvesters."
Quote from Senator Bernie Sanders:
“Today’s agreement is an important and hard-earned victory for tomato workers who have been fighting for years for an increase in their abysmally low wages and an improvement in their working conditions. I commend the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Lady Moon Farms, Alderman Farms, and Whole Foods for working together to make this day a reality.
With the signing of this agreement, it is long past time for the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange to drop their threats of fines or surcharges on other growers who want to participate in the penny-per-pound program so that more workers can benefit. As someone who has been to Immokalee and seen the deplorable conditions of farm workers there, it is my hope that today will mark the beginning of the end of the ‘Harvest of Shame’ that has existed in the tomato fields in Florida for far too long.”
Check back soon for more on this breaking news!May 18, 2009
Shining a rotten apple:
Two farms that used workers held against their will in the Navarrete slavery case were certified as “socially accountable” by the grower-controlled monitoring agency called "SAFE" (Socially Accountable Farm Employers)
When news of Florida's latest slavery prosecution hit the headlines last December, one crucial bit of information went largely overlooked.
The paragraph below, tucked into the end of the Ft. Myers News Press story from December 20th entitled "Family sentenced for slavery," touched on an aspect of the story that ultimately got lost in the swirl of sordid facts around the Navarretes case:
"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." (emphasis added)
What exactly is “SAFE”?
SAFE is the product of a particularly unseemly union, the coming together of Florida’s plantation-scale tomato growers and the multi-billion dollar companies that buy their produce in an effort aimed at blunting the growing Campaign for Fair Food.
The two joined forces in 2005 in the wake of the successful Taco Bell boycott. An article in the Lakeland Ledger from the early days of SAFE -- entitled “Growers Seeking SAFE Haven: Group hopes to set practices for farmworkers, but some say it's skirting issue” – describes the birth of a bad idea:
WASHINGTON -- Jay Taylor recalls the seeds being sown last spring in a tomato packinghouse in Palmetto, where members of the restaurant industry and Florida agriculture met to discuss an escalating labor war... read more...
