Great new video launches us into 2011 and the Publix/Ahold spring action…http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OW9jGP-QKro

Plus: Two more lists take a look at the remarkable year that was in 2010!

Started before Thanksgiving, not finished until after Christmas, and launched with the New Year, the above video — from the fine people at the exciting new Tampa Bay Fair Food committee — wraps all the goodwill of the holiday season in a perfect package and delivers it, in a heartfelt message of thanks, to Florida’s farmworkers. And it does it all to a great, great soundtrack! Don’t miss it.

Tampa Bay Fair Food is leading the effort to mobilize for this spring’s big Publix/Ahold action, so it’s a pretty good bet we’ll be seeing a lot of these faces on March 4th and 5th in Tampa for the huge Publix protest!

But before we fully turn our attention to the new year, we take one last look back at the incredible year that was in the Campaign for Fair Food in 2010.

Change.org is at it again, bringing much needed attention to the fight against slavery in Florida’s fields, this time including the CIW in its list of “2010’s Human Trafficking Heroes”. Here’s an excerpt:

“2010 was a year full of victories in the fight against human trafficking, and several people and organizations helped to make those victories possible. While the heroes in the fight against human trafficking are many and often unsung, five entities stood out in 2010 for their passion, courage, and the incredible strides they’ve made to stop modern-day slavery. Here are Change.org’s 2010 Human Trafficking Heroes. 2010 Human Trafficking Heroes Coalition Immokalee Workers (CIW): The CIW is kicking slavery and exploitation out of the Florida tomato industry, one company at a time. In 2010, Anti-Slavery Campaign Coordinator Laura Germino was named the first ever Trafficking in Persons Report Hero from the U.S. for her role in freeing over 1,000 farmworkers from slavery. CIW also signed a historic agreement with the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, which covers over 90% of the industry. Thanks to the groundbreaking work of the CIW and their partner, the Student Farmworker Alliance, the tomato industry will be fairer in 2011.” read more

And another article, published at alternet.org, included the CIW in its own 2010 list, this one entitled, “Working America’s 5 Best and 5 Worst Moments of 2010”. Here’s a quick look:

“… 4. Florida Tomato Workers No Longer Kept Silent In October, Pacific Tomato Growers and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers signed a ground-breaking agreement to create new labor standards in Florida’s tomato industry—an industry characterized by lack of fair pay, health benefits, and safety training. The agreement implements worker involvement in health and safety programs, education programs, and a fair system for resolving disputes with employers. It’s just one step in creating a safe working environment for tomato workers, but it’s an important one.” read more

Be sure to check out both articles, but don’t linger too long, it’s already time to get back to work and build on last year’s advances in the new year!

[Useful aphorism bonus: The recent spate of articles looking back at what was, by any measure, an exciting and successful 2010, brings to mind a helpful saying of a once-great coach, who said, “Organizing is like boxing — if you stand around too long admiring your own handiwork, you’ll get knocked out” (except, in his case, “organizing” was “football”). We had a great year, no doubt, but this game is far from over, and all of us — workers in Immokalee and Fair Food allies across the country — have a lot of work ahead of us in the year ahead.]