immigrant nation
June 14, 2009 Inter Press Serviceby Peter Costantini
SEATTLE, Washington - Up the Pacific Coast from California to Washington, through the heartland in Texas and Illinois, and over to the Atlantic Seaboard in New Jersey and New York, local trade unions and mainly immigrant workers centres are experimenting with new modes of cooperation.
[photo from National Library of Australia]
june 24 09
immigrant nation: fair pay for farmworkers
Last week, more than two dozen leading writers, organizers, filmmakers and farmers from the sustainable food movement issued an open letter demanding that Chipotle, the fastest growing company in the fast-food industry, "work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers' rights."
Eric Schlosser ("Fast Food Nation"), Frances Moore Lappe ("Diet for a Small Planet"), and Robert Kenner (director of the hard-hitting new documentary "Food, Inc.") joined colleagues in calling the burrito giant out for the grinding poverty and humiliating labor conditions faced by the workers who pick its tomatoes. The signers concluded the open letter by declaring that "we view the CIW’s struggle for dignity as a non-negotiable part of the struggle for a sustainable food system." For full story, visit http://www.ciw-online.org/
immigrant nation: seeking social justice
Florida Tomato Growers Sign Agreement with Whole Foods Market supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) “Penny-per-Pound” Program
Lady Moon Farms and Alderman Farms are First in Florida to Join Effort to Improve Worker Wages & Working Conditions
AUSTIN, TX (June 4, 2009) – Whole Foods Market, the leading natural and organic foods supermarket announced today that Florida tomato growers Lady Moon Farms and Alderman Farms are the first to sign agreements with Whole Foods Market supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ “penny-per-pound” program designed to improve wages for tomato harvesters.
“Lady Moon and Alderman Farms are examples of Florida growers that Whole Foods Market is proud to support” said Karen Christensen, Global Produce Coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “These farms are long term partners of Whole Foods Market and we look forward to continued growth together. Agreements like these are consistent with Whole Foods Markets’ core values and are in the best interest of the people who harvest our tomatoes.”
immigrant nation
A Squeeze for Tomato Growers
Boycott vs. Higher Wages
Washington Post by Jane Black
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
IMMOKALEE, Fla. -- Appalled by instances of what federal prosecutors have described as slavery, executives of one of the nation's largest food service companies promise to boycott Florida tomatoes if growers do not agree to improve conditions and increase pay for farmworkers.
Bon Appetit Management today will issue a strict set of standards that farm worker advocates call a "rough draft" of the future of fairly produced food. If no grower agrees, the company is set to stop serving tomatoes on salad bars and sandwiches at its more than 400 college and corporate cafes across the country.
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."
Denver Fair FoodThursday, April 23, 2009
Joe Stupp Alleges . . . When In Reality . . .
Yesterday, Chipotle announced it's 1st Quater 2009 Results. Despite the massive economic crisis afflicting the world, Chipotle reported an increase in profits of 46.9%. While it rakes in some big bucks, the "fast-casual" restaurant chain still resists working in an authentic partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in order to guarantee fair wages and human rights for farmworkers in its tomato supply chain.