For over 16 years, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida have been demanding better working conditions and a living wage in exchange for their backbreaking tomato picking labor. And the group just scored a major victory: after a year of protests, it persuaded Trader Joe's to join with places like Whole Foods, McDonald's and Burger King, in accepting the CIW's fair food agreement.
The new deal, by which TJ's will pay a small premium (about $.01 per pound), should help "promote the development of a sustainable Florida tomato industry that advances both the human rights of farmworkers and the long-term interests of Florida tomato growers." The national market had previously held off on agreeing to the terms, but the pressure from protests seems to have worked—and now all is forgiven.
As Gerardo Reyes of the CIW puts it, "with this agreement, Trader Joe’s reaffirms" its commitment to ethical purchasing practices "and sends a strong—and timely—message of support to the Florida growers who are choosing to do the right thing, investing in improved labor standards, despite the challenges of a difficult marketplace and tough economic times."
For a quick refresher on the plight of Florida tomato pickers, start with this story by Rabbi Jill Jacobs in which she recalls hearing "a group of Immokalee workers speak. They described how red their hands would be at the end of the work day. Innocently, I thought they were talking about tomato juice stains. But as it turned out, they meant that their hands would be burned red by the pesticides on the fruit they were handling."
