Some middle school ESOL students on the west coast of Florida share their thoughts on Fair Food with Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw…
The letters from middle school students to Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw below speak — loudly and clearly — for themselves. We have nothing to add to their perfect eloquence, except this: If we, as grown-ups, could hold on to just one thing from our childhood that would make this world a much, much better place, it would be the crystalline vision of justice children enjoy that we somehow learn to adulterate, so to speak, as we grow older.
And, now, without further ado, some advice from middle schoolers to Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw:
| Mr. Ed Crenshaw, CEO Publix Supermarkets Corporate Office P.O. Box407 Lakeland, FL 33802 Dear Publix: You should agree to the Fair Food Agreement. Workers that break their backs picking our fruits and vegetable should get more money. What can they do with this money? Well, migrants can buy food that is needed; afford clothes, electronics, and stuff like that. They could get enough money that maybe their children could ask for money for college so they could get a better future for themselves and become someone with a future. One reason you should agree to the Fair Food Agreement is so they can buy food for their family. I mean they get 50 cent a bucket and in you store it’s $3.55 a pound. The buckets weigh 32 pounds and they only get 50 cents!! That’s outrageous! It is like torture but for one cent more, they wouldn’t think it was torture. The second reason you should agree to the Fair Food Agreement is so migrant parents could afford more things for their children. Children need things; every kid wants something and migrant parents would feel bad because they know they can’t afford it. So this concludes this letter. many other store agree and thousand of people are supporting it I know I do so well the question is why don’t you? |
Another:
| Dear Publix:
I urge you to sign the Fair Food Agreement to help the farm workers in our community. You are one the most powerful corporations in our state and also one of the few that didn’t sign this agreement yet. The Fair Food Agreement provides tomato pickers with one penny more per pound of tomatoes picked and better working conditions. These humble farm workers really need this extra cent, don’t you ever think about it? These poor workers work from sunrise to sunset everyday with little or no breaks in between. They work in killer heat with no shadow, getting pesticides all over them. If they get sick, who is going to pay for their medication? Who is going to take care of them? Who is going to bring food home? Who is going to take care of their kids? WHO?! I guessed your answer is – nobody! Farm workers’ average life expectancy is still 49 years –compared to 73 years for the rest of us. WHY?! Because farm workers work more hours in the worst conditions you can ever imagine earning what you earn in a couple hours. Sad right, but that’s their reality. It’s all in your hands; you can provide them a longer and healthier life just by giving them an extra cent. |
And another:
| Dear Publix:
I think you should pay more for the pound of tomatoes because the farm workers work a lot in the farm, and the farm pays 50¢ per bucket. The bucket is 32 pounds and it is heavy. The females also work on farms. To pay 1¢ more per pound of tomatoes is not going to kill your business for 32¢ per bucket. It is hard to work in the fields because you need to stand in one position and that position hurts your back. Also, high school kids work in the fields. Comparing 50¢ and 82¢, 82¢ is bigger that 50¢. It is cool to help others and you will feel great. People will stop buying at Publix if you don’t sign in the program. Your business is going to die, and it will be bad to see the world’s biggest supermarket lost. You’re going to be the next extinct supermarket. |
There’s more:
| Dear Publix:
I urge you to sign the fair food agreement because I support the farm workers. They deserve to have that extra penny because these people pick the tomatoes you sell in your stores. If you were in their place you would want that penny because working all day carrying 32 pounds of tomatoes is difficult. I think you would be tired in a minute. You might think you will lose a lot of money, but I’m sure you won’t. It would be the opposite – you would earn more because you will have the respect of everyone. Come on! It’s just a penny! You would keep earning money and everybody would be happy. Please, I never beg anybody but if I have to beg you please I beg you to help them. Look at it from the bright side – you could earn more money because you would have more to sell. Can you imagine if people knew what you were doing to the farmworkers? They wouldn’t buy any more of your tomatoes and you wouldn’t earn as much as before. I urge you to think about it please. Thank you. |
And one last one (this one has such a special flair that we couldn’t leave it out…):
| PUBLIX! PUBLIX! PUBLIX! WHY WON’T YOU SIGN?!!!!!! I’m talking about the Fair Food Agreement! The farmworkers need you to sign to have better working condition and to be paid 1 more cent per pound of tomatoes.
First, I will speak about better conditions. They want better condition because they have to work with pesticides, and I know that you wouldn’t want your wife, children, and you to work in those conditions. They get yelled at you if they don’t work fast. Other companies have signed up, and if you sign up it will be MUCH! MUCH! MUCH! BETTER!!!!!!!!!! Finally, pay 1 more cent per pound of tomato! Publix! Publix! Publix! I know that you don’t want to sign on because of the money. BUT IT’S JUST ONE CENT! A CENT! THAT IS NOT THAT EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PUBLIX! PUBLIX! PUBLIX! SIGN ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
And with those words, we wish you all a great weekend and, to all the mothers out there, an even greater (early) Mother’s Day!