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Coalition of Immokalee Workers 
Wed Feb 24, 2010 at 21:53:01 PM PST
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Sometimes, it breaks my heart to tell my boyfriend's seven-year-old the truth about the world. This was one of those times. A few weeks ago, I heard about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' fair food coloring contest for kids. I immediately emailed it to our daughter's Girl Scout leader, asking if the entire troop wanted to enter the contest. She asked if I could lead it as an activity at tonight's meeting.
Sunday, I told my boyfriend's daughter that I was going to lead an activity at the meeting and I asked if she wanted to be the one to tell the story to the troop. She said yes, so we sat down together and I showed her pictures of the tomato pickers in Immokalee, FL and explained to her how bad their lives were. She turned white as a sheet. She's still at an age where scary stories keep her up at night. Her dad had to sleep with her the night I told her about the boy who cried wolf because she was so scared. So true stories like the human rights catastrophe of our food system REALLY make an effect.
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Tue May 05, 2009 at 19:00:00 PM PDT
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Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 21:00:00 PM PDT
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Great news via the Washington Post: Bon Appetit will boycott Florida tomatoes unless growers treat (and pay) the workers better. Here's the money quote:
The growers "can do the right thing, and our five million pounds of business can go to them," said Fedele Bauccio, Bon Appetit's chief executive. "Or they can let the tomatoes rot in the fields."
I've long been in awe of the excellent, continued campaign run by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the group representing the workers in Florida's tomato fields who have strong-armed several fast food chains into paying the workers an extra penny per pound of tomatoes. I honestly cannot even imagine the hell those workers live through every single day of their lives. My friend Jim Goodman joined a delegation that visited Immokalee earlier this year and he posted his comments along with some photos here. The trip REALLY affected him, which makes me think that as serious as I take this issue, I STILL underestimate the severity of the workers' situation.
Congrats to Bon Appetit for their strong moral stance and to the Immokalee workers for their victory. And shame on any company that does not do the same.
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Wed Dec 10, 2008 at 08:00:00 AM PST
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The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has already obtained agreements from Yum! Brands (Taco Bell), McDonald's, Burger King, and Whole Foods to pay an extra penny per pound of tomatoes. Now Subway has joined that list. The workers wages amount to about $50 per day for picking 2 tons of tomatoes. With the extra penny per pound, the same 2 tons of tomatoes will be worth $90. The agreement also includes improved labor standards - a very important component of the agreement, given that some of the workers are literally living and working in slavery.
Subway agreed Tuesday to pay an extra penny per pound more for tomatoes grown in Florida after reaching a deal with a farm workers advocacy group.
The deal between Subway and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, which is aimed at improving wages and working conditions for Florida farm workers, also calls for a stricter code of conduct for suppliers concerning labor rights. The agreement encourages farm worker participation in the monitoring of growers' compliance with labor laws and adherence to "zero-tolerance" guidelines for violations, CIW officials said. The group also said Subway has extended those standards of conduct to include its entire supply chain, not just its tomato vendors.
OK, Chipotle... you're next.
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