When the CIW’s Fair Food Code of Conduct goes into effect this coming November on over 90% of Florida’s tomato farms — covering more than 30,000 workers — the implementation and monitoring of the new Code will be an undertaking of unprecedented scope and complexity.

The resources necessary to carry out that monumental task are starting to come together. The Human Rights Clinic at the University of Miami’s School of Law will be pitching in, bringing the expertise and energy of law professors and students to everything from the production of worker rights educational materials to the enforcement of the Fair Food Code of Conduct’s complaint resolution mechanism.

In a release announcing the new collaboration, Gerardo Reyes of the CIW said of the news:

“We are truly fortunate to be able to work with the University of Miami Human Rights Clinic as we embark on the development of this exciting new approach to farm labor reform in Florida,” said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “We have always felt that the urgent need to modernize agriculture in our state was not just a farm worker community problem, but a Florida problem, one that affects the state as a whole and requires all available resources to solve. This partnership underscores that fact, and the energy and insight that these young scholars bring to the table will be invaluable in that process.” read more

This is very positive news, and will undoubtedly facilitate the roll-out of the Fair Food program immeasurably.