Plus… Fair Food allies in California prepare for week-long Trader Joe’s Tour, with meetings and actions from LA to San Francisco!
“Why I’m saying goodbye to Trader Joe’s,” is the title of an article published in the July 6th edition of the Las Vegas Weekly that reflects the sentiments of Trader Joe’s customers everywhere, including more and more longtime customers who are growing increasingly disenchanted with the “progressive” grocer’s indefensible decision to give farm labor justice the run-around in its tomato supply chain. Here’s an excerpt:
“… Of course, Immokalee’s struggling farmworkers don’t have much to do with Las Vegas—except that they do, every time we go to Trader Joe’s. The friendly, yuppie grocery store that boasts bargain-basement prices on everything from produce to butternut squash bisque to frozen biryani, has refused to sign the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Campaign for Fair Food. Among the campaign’s demands: not to employ growers that tolerate worker abuses (which have gone as far as slavery) and a penny-per-pound price increase to be passed along to the people who do the picking.
TJ’s isn’t the only company ducking the CIW’s demands. Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway and Whole Foods have all inked agreements, but to date, no other grocery chain has joined the campaign. Still, it’s Trader Joe’s that has me the most rankled, what with its organic and gluten-free options, ethical ambiance and smiley, Hawaiian-shirted staff. But mostly I’m upset, because TJ’s is my favorite. They even say they don’t have a problem paying the extra penny, they just object to some of the language and terms in the agreement. But until they sign, I won’t be going back. So please, Joe, get your act together. I miss that damn bisque.” read more >>
If history is any guide, Trader Joe’s representatives will quickly pounce on this latest article and fill its comments section with quotes from its various public relations responses to the campaign, all of which have been thoroughly debunked on the pages of this website already (you can go here for the very latest of our rebuttals to their rebuttals).
But if Trader Joe’s saved half the time it takes trolling the internet in fruitless efforts to defend its brand, and instead spent it talking to CIW representatives about constructive ways to engage with the Campaign for Fair Food, this time-wasting public debate would be behind us and we could be working together to improve farmworkers’ lives, behind a verifiable and enforceable agreement.
And Trader Joe’s could spend its resources trying to live up to its customers’ expectations rather than undermining its own brand and — more and more every day — disappointing them.
Until then, however, Fair Food activists will continue to educate the public about the conditions in Florida’s fields, the Campaign for Fair Food’s efforts to improve them, and Trader Joe’s refusal to join in a genuine partnership with the CIW in support of Fair Food.
California Trader Joe’s Tour ready to launch!
In California, those efforts are about to take a huge leap forward. A week-long Trader Joe’s Tour is getting ready to hit the road, with protests and community get-togethers with CIW members scheduled from LA to San Francisco. Here’s a quick look at the actions already on the calendar:
Santa Ana
Sunday, July 10 @ 10:00 am
Action at Trader Joe’s
3329 South Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Corona
Sunday, July 10 @ 11:00 am
Trader Joe’s
2790 Cabot Dr. #165
Corona, CA 92883
Los Angeles
Monday, July 11 @ 6:00 pm
Delegation to UCLA Trader Joe’s
1000 Glendon Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Irvine/Orange County
Tuesday, July 12 @ 6:00 pm*
UC Irvine Trader Joe’s
4225 Campus Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612
(* Dinner & dialogue with CIW members immediately following action.)
Santa Cruz
Thursday, July 14 @ 6:00 pm*
Downtown Trader Joe’s
700 Front St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(* Dinner & dialogue with CIW members immediately following action.)
San Jose/South Bay
Friday, July 15 @ 6:00 pm*
Coleman Ave. Trader Joe’s
635 Coleman Ave.
San Jose, CA 95110
(* Dinner & dialogue with CIW members immediately following action.)
Berkeley/East Bay
Saturday, July 16 @ 9:00 am
Farmworker Justice Breakfast & Trader Joe’s Action
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar St.
Berkeley, CA 94709
Breakfast reception & presentation by CIW members, followed by short march to Trader Joe’s on University Ave. (1885 University Ave., Berkeley)
San Francisco
Sunday, July 17 @ 4:00 pm
Fair Food Panel Discussion & March through Mission District to SOMA Trader Joe’s
Center for Political Education
522 Valencia St. (3rd floor)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Fair food panel discussion at the Center for Political Education (and live Son Jarocho music!), followed by short march through San Francisco’s Mission District to the SOMA Trader Joe’s (555 9th St.)
If you live in or near one of the areas listed above, and you’d like to let Trader Joe’s know that you support workers in Immokalee and the Campaign for Fair Food, be sure to contact Damara Luce, at damara@justharvestusa.org, or call at 510-725-8752.
The Tour will be laying the groundwork for much more to come in California this summer, with major actions planned for September on both the west and east coasts! So, stay tuned for much more news — including photos, first-hand reports, and videos — from the California Trader Joe’s Tour in the coming week, and more in the months ahead as Trader Joe’s long, hot summer gets underway…