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)!

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
& Miami

Nov 14 & 15 – Tampa
& St. Petersburg

Statewide 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.