On February 20th, 2000 (picture above), the CIW and allies began the two-week, 230-mile "March for Dignity, Dialogue, and a Fair Wage" in Ft. Myers...
More than a decade later, join us for this historic return to our roots this spring, March 3rd-17th, for the two-week "March for Rights, Respect and Fair Food" from Ft. Myers to Lakeland, Florida! Check out the CIW update for more details and an incredible in-depth reflection.
Interested in joining us for part or all of the march? Let us know at info@interfaithact.org!
Interfaith Action Releases Winter 2013 Newsletter
Dear friends,
This past Labor Day, The Washington Post heralded the Fair Food Program — the product of our work together — as “one of the great human rights success stories of our day.”
The transformation of a historically abusive industry — led by those most directly affected by it and supported by people of faith and conscience — is indeed nothing less than a remarkable success story. As a result of daily worker-to-worker education, over 15,000 farmworkers now know of their rights and can act as the program’s on-the-ground monitors. Since the Fair Food Standards Council’s (FFSC) inception one year ago, over a hundred complaints have been reported. And with eleven major buyers participating in the Fair Food Program — Chipotle Mexican Grill as the most recent addition this October — seven million dollars has been paid out to workers through the penny-per-pound premium.
But the fruit of our work is not just one story; it is made up of many. At the close of 2012, we hope you find both deep peace and continued motivation from them the way we do.
It was during the past year that one father described never in his son’s life having eaten breakfast together, until time clocks in the fields guaranteeing payment for all hours on the job disincentivized growers from picking up workers so early in the morning. He now walks his child to the bus stop every morning.
One man, after being alerted to his rights through worker-to-worker education, requested backwages for 300 buckets, to which the grower denied that he had ever worked on the farm. After an investigation by the FFSC, he walked through the front door of the grower’s office and received a check, modest as it was, made out in his name.
When a woman’s reports of serious sexual abuse by a crewleader came to light, the grower on the farm refused to fire the long-time employee. But after a phone call from a participating buyer, who explained that it would have to cut its purchases from that grower if it fell out of compliance with the Code of Conduct, the grower fired the crewleader and began working with the CIW to strengthen their human resources department to prevent such abuse in the future.
We know our work building an agricultural industry that values the worth and dignity of every human being is far from over. Indeed, we must still bring supermarket giants Publix, Kroger, Stop & Shop and Giant to the table, as well as other corporations who buy large quantities of Florida tomatoes.
But these stories illuminate the path ahead. They remind us that every letter written, prayer spoken, mile marched matters — and that if we hold strong to our dedication, our unity, and our faith, we will reach the horizon of a fully transformed agricultural industry.
Sincerely,
Elena, Jordan and Claire
Click here to see the rest of Winter 2013's newsletter!
CIW Releases Poignant Video, "A Tale of Two Holidays"
This holiday season, the CIW released a powerful video highlighting the unconscionable poverty of our nation's farmworkers, calling on the Florida-based supermarket giant Publix to join the unprecedented partnership among farmworkers, growers, consumers, and retail food corporations that is taking root today through the Fair Food Program.
The video is a moving reflection on a food system that marginalizes the very people who labor to produce our nation's bounty of fruits and vegetables, and on a supermarket industry that turns its back on the first real solution in decades to the age old problem of farmworker poverty and abuse.
Hundreds of Fair Food supporters across the country also signed the video's accompanying petition.
Chipotle Signs Fair Food Agreement!
On October 4th, Chipotle Mexican Grill became the 11th major tomato retailer to join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program.
“With this agreement, we are laying down a foundation upon which we all – workers, growers, and Chipotle – can build a stronger Florida tomato industry for the future,” said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “But more than this, today’s news marks a turning point in the sustainable food movement as a whole, whereby, thanks to Chipotle’s leadership, farmworkers are finally recognized as true partners -- every bit as vital as farmers, chefs, and restaurants -- in bringing ‘good food’ to our tables.”
Sarasota clergy lead peaceful community procession to Publix
On Saturday, September 1st, the Rev. Clay Thomas, pastor at 1st Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, came to a greet farmworkers from Immokalee at the conclusion of their peaceful picket at a Publix. He then entered the store to buy a sandwich in the deli only to be ousted by store management. Three police officers escorted Rev. Thomas, who was wearing a Coalition of Immokalee Workers t-shirt (that did not mention Publix at all) from the store, and he was issued a one-year ban on returning.
Sarasota clergy, outraged by this disrespectful treatment, quickly organized a response, publishing an op/ed in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune calling for a community-wide assembly and peaceful procession to the Publix from which Rev. Thomas was ousted. The op/ed was signed by 22 clergy members and two former mayors.
The day of, nearly 200 supporters of Rev. Thomas and of farmworker justice marched from St. Martha's Catholic Church to the Promenade Publix location. The peaceful procession ended in a clergy delegation to the store, who delivered a letter (their op-ed) signed by over 40 clergy members to the management. They also purchased Publix brand fair trade coffee, and spoke with the manager about their hope that Publix extend its "proud" support for "livable wages and work conditions" -- as it says on every bag of Publix Fair Trade coffee -- for coffee harvesters abroad to tomato pickers in their own home state.
A New Dawn in the Fields - Interfaith Action's Summer 2012 Newsletter
This summer marks the completion of the first season of the Fair Food Program's full implementation, signifying what has truly been a new dawn in the Florida tomato fields.
For the first time in our state's history, tens of thousands of farmworkers across 90% of Florida's farms have been equipped with the knowledge of their new rights in the workplace by fellow workers, from access to shade and water, to the right to form participatory health and safety committees, to guaranteed pay for all hours worked. This season, workers experienced their first real pay increase in thirty years.
The fall was marked by some two hundred pastors, rabbis, and congregants who corralled efforts to successfully endear supermarket Trader Joe’s toward just treatment of farmworkers - the supermarket chain signed the Fair Food Agreement in February. Meanwhile, Publix, Florida's largest private corporation, continued a third year of steadfast resistance to participating in the historic progress being cultivated in the Florida tomato fields. That's why this past March, 60 farmworkers and their allies abstained from food for six days outside Publix Corporate Headquarters in Lakeland, FL.
Read more about the season's accomplishments and the ongoing progress of the Campaign for Fair Food in Interfaith Action's Summer 2012 Newsletter!
CIW and Interfaith Action Head to 2012 Wild Goose Festival in Shakori Hills, North Carolina
Late last month, the CIW and Interfaith Action headed to the 2012 Wild Goose Festival, a four-day gathering in the forest of people from around the country exploring the intersections of justice, spirituality, music and art. In this spirit, the CIW and allies from Interfaith Action packed up their tents, sleeping bags and 153 tomato buckets in order to illustrate to Wild Goose attendees the amount of tomatoes a farmworker must pick in order to make minimum wage in a 10-hour day.
Read the full update about the CIW and Interfaith Action's time at Wild Goose here!
International Justice Mission Announces Summer "Recipe for Change" Campaign
This summer, faith-based human rights organization International Justice Mission has launched a new justice campaign entitled "Recipe for Change" in support of the CIW's Campaign for Fair Food.
The campaign offers the opportunity to learn about the history of forced labor in Florida agriculture, and to take action to encourage supermarket leaders like Publix, Kroger, Stop and Shop, and Giant, among others, to be part of the solution by joining the CIW's Fair Food Program. The campaign also offers a weekly tomato-centric recipe from food justice movement leaders, including NY Times food writer Mark Bittman and best-selling author Michael Pollan.
You can visit the Recipe for Change website to find several ways to take action, including:
- Sending a message to supermarket CEOs asking them to join the Fair Food Program;
- Downloading a petition to circulate in your own community and deliver to your local supermarket;
- Signing up for weekly emails or joining the Recipe for Change Facebook community.
Mothers Unite from Both Sides of Supply Chain to Call on Publix in Petition
This weekend, farmworker mothers and consumer mothers have come together from both ends of the supply chain -- bound by their universal desire to provide for their families -- to unite their voices in inviting Publix to join the CIW's Fair Food Program. You can support their call by signing the "Publix: Support Farmworker Mothers" petition here. Please invite your communities to sign with you!
Here's a snippet from two of the petition's many authors:
"On Mother's Day, we ask that you, Publix executives, recognize our affliction and the necessity of just wages for us farmworkers, who as mothers are responsible for feeding our children," said Immokalee mother Carmen Esquivel.
The Rev. Tricia Dillon Thomas, a minister at Peace Presbyterian in Lakewood Ranch, explains, "As a mother it is important to me that the food I put on the table is planted and harvested while maintaining farmworker dignity. I cannot very well ask the Lord to bless the food and forget the farmworker."
A Powerful Finish for the Fast for Fair Food
The six-day Fast for Fair Food ended on March 10th outside Publix headquarters in Lakeland, Florida, with a tremendous outpouring of support for the sixty-plus workers and their allies who braved a week of hunger, a scorching sun, rain, and the mute disdain of Florida's largest corporation so that their brothers and sisters in the fields could work and live with a modicum of dignity. From beginning to end, it was a powerful day.
Kerry Kennedy to fasters, paraphrasing Robert F. Kennedy: "One day you will tell your children and grandchildren, 'I did this. I was there at the point of difficulty and danger.'"
Trader Joe's signs Fair Food Agreement with the CIW!
On February 9, 2012, Trader Joe's and the CIW announced that Trader Joe's has agreed to join the Fair Food Program. This means Trader Joe's will be enforcing the code of conduct for fairer conditions in the fields and paying a small premium to help improve tomato pickers' sub-poverty wages. Thank you to everyone who sent a letter or a postcard, contacted their local manager, organized a vigil, or otherwise helped to call on Trader Joe's to do the right thing! You can thank Trader Joe's here.
"We believe that with God’s help, Publix’s isolation and hesitation can be transformed into communication and cooperation with the CIW."
Visit the Faith Moves Mountains campaign page today to get involved!
A Harvest Like None Before: The Interfaith Action Fall Newsletter
As the CIW's accords with 90% of Florida tomato farms take root, there is truly a new dawn breaking in the Sunshine State's fields! This season the CIW will be training 30,000 workers throughout Florida on their new rights contained in the Code of Conduct and the penny/pound premium paid out by participating retailers.
Yet, Publix--the omnipresent grocery chain and largest corporation in Florida--continues to reject the CIW's Fair Food agreements, accords that lift wages and enact broad new rights.
Read about these landmark agreements and the current ongoings of the Campaign for Fair Food in our
Fall Harvest 2011 Newsletter!
Farmworkers call on Publix to Respect their Human Rights and Support the Code of Conduct
The CIW honored International Human Rights Day with a major picket outside the just-opened Publix in Miami, calling on the grocery giant to support the new rights farmworkers are seeing in the fields this season.
Over 100 supporters joined with the farmworkers to present Publix with a Declaration of Farmworker Rights--new rights guaranteed by the Code of Conduct that nine corporations are currently supporting through a Fair Food Agreement.
But Publix refused to allow the farmworkers to deliver the declaration to the store manager, sending out another PR representative to turn the delegation away.
Interfaith Religious Leaders Welcome Publix Grand Opening in Miami With a Pray-in
At the grand opening of the new Publix store in Miami an interfaith group of clergy held a pray-in to express their frustration with Florida's supermarket giant because, in their words, "Publix has been refusing to dialogue, so all that's left is for us to pray."
Four religious leaders -- two Christian pastors, a Jewish Cantor, and a Quaker-- stood in a prayer circle over the tomatoes and lead prayers and song in English, Spanish and Hebrew at the packed grand opening.
National religious leaders and farmworker families deliver powerful Thanksgiving messages to Supermarkets
National religious leaders issued a Thanksgiving call for Trader Joe's, Publix, Ahold, and Kroger to "help bring about a harvest that is both abundant and just." Read the letter to Trader Joe's, signed by Methodist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and many other religious leaders here.
Also, after a long day's work just before Thanksgiving, a delegation of Immokalee women and children traveled to a Publix in Naples to deliver a letter one of them had written to Publix. As the country celebrates the bounty of the harvest they help to grow and pick, they implored Publix to be part of the solution to sub-poverty wages and abuses mothers routinely face in the fields.
Gainesville Clergy Pray for Publix in the Millhopper Store
On October 24th, fifteen Gainesville clergy of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths held a prayer service at the Millhopper Publix in Gainesville, FL Sunday. They prayed that the supermarket chain would “Do the right thing,” asking for divine guidance for Publix executives to move their hearts and end their stonewall refusal to sit down with the men and women who pick their tomatoes.
During the pray-in, the delegation delivered a letter to Publix signed on behalf of 31 Gainesville clergy members.
March and Rally for Farmworker Justice at Trader Joe's Headquarters!
On October 21, Trader Joe's headquarters was met with a 400-person march and rally for farmworker justice. Thirty religious leaders led the call with farmworkers for the national retailer to live up to its image of an ethical corporation.
During the event, the clergy delegation attempted to meet with Trader Joe's representatives and deliver several letters, one signed by eighty-six Southern California religious leaders. When TJ's representative's refused to speak with the delegation, religious leaders peacefully taped their letters to the TJ's door—only to have an employee rip them down and crumple them up.
Calling on us to respect the human dignity of all our brothers and sisters, Los Angeles Bishop Gabino Zavala urges Trader Joe's to sign the Fair Food Agreements. Click Here to read his letter!
Drawing upon the deep legacy of slavery in Jewish history, over 100 Rabbis across the country sign an open letter to Trader Joe's asking the company to work with the CIW and become part of the solution to uprooting modern-day slavery in Florida's fields.
Supermarket Week of Action Calendar: Find an event near you!
People of faith and CIW supporters around the country are going to their local supermarkets and taking a stand for human rights in Florida's fields.
Find out if there will be an action near you! Or deliver a letter or organize an event asking Trader Joe's, Publix, Stop and Shop, Giant, or Kroger to join in the Fair Food Agreements!
Click here for a photo report from the Rabbis For Human Rights visit.
A delegation of farmworkers and faith-based supporters bicycled over 200 miles to Lakeland to personally invite Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw to visit Immokalee to learn about the reality facing farmworkers. Though communities of faith held in their prayers a softening of heart for Mr. Crenshaw, CIW members were turned away at Publix headquarters. Click here for the photo report!
Read more about the World Communion of Reformed Churches visit to Immokalee and their call for Publix to join in improving wages and conditions for tomato pickers.
Religious Leaders Across the Country Ask that Trader Joe's Sign Fair Food Agreements
Click here to read the Rabbis' letter!
Oct. 16th-24th National Week of Action
Rabbis For Human Rights Pray in Naples Publix
Gearing up for the Jewish High Holidays, a delegation from Rabbis for Human Rights-North America traveled to Immokalee to join with the Campaign for Fair Food and put their faith into action by holding a powerful pray-in in the produce aisle of the Naples Publix!
Pilgrimage to Publix: Cycling to Crenshaw
Check out a video of the journey!
World Communion of Reformed Churches delegation visits Immokalee
Click here for a photo report from the World Communion of Reformed Churches visit.
CBS Evening News: "Harvest of Shame Revisited"
Fifty years after legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow's Harvest of Shame, CBS returned to Immokalee to report on conditions in the fields and found hope in the changes taking place through the Campaign for Fair Food. Watch the November 24, 2010 broadcast from CBS Evening News here: