Labor & Employment Law

Tomato Workers, Growers Sign Historic Agreement

By James Parks

Lucas Benitez of the CIW, left, and Reggie Brown of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange sign the historic agreement, as Gerardo Reyes of the CIW looks on.

After more than 15 years of struggle, justice may be just around the corner in the Florida tomato fields. In what workers call a ?watershed moment,? the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE) yesterday signed an agreement that will extend the CIW’s Fair Food principles to more than 90 percent of the Florida tomato industry.

The agreement includes a strict code of conduct, a cooperative complaint resolution system, a health and safety program, a worker-to-worker education process and the penny more a pound for tomatoes picked that workers have long sought.

The agreement will take effect in two stages. This growing season (2010-2011), all participating FTGE members will pay the penny more per pound. At the same time, CIW and two growers, Six L?s and Pacific Tomato Growers will hammer out a process for enforcing the code of conduct throughout the industry. The code will apply only to Six L?s and Pacific this season. It goes into full effect in the 2011-2012 season.

Lucas Benitez of CIW told a press conference yesterday:

This is a watershed moment in the history of Florida agriculture. With this agreement, the Florida tomato industry?workers and growers alike?is coming together in partnership to turn the page on the conflict and stagnation of the past and instead forge a new and stronger industry.

This is the beginning, not the end, of a very long journey. But with this agreement, the pieces are now in place for us to get to work on making the Florida tomato industry a model of social accountability for the 21st century.

 In a statement, the FTGE farm owners said: 

We realize that this is a work in progress and this partnership will get stronger over time…we are confident that we will be able to weed out the bad actors and, working together, build a stronger, more sustainable industry that will be better equipped than ever to thrive in an increasingly competitive market place.

For this new agreement to achieve its full potential, however, retail food industry leaders must also step up and support the higher standards, said CIW member Gerardo Reyes.

Key players in the fast-food and foodservice industries have already committed their support. It is time now for supermarket industry leaders to seize this historic opportunity and help make the promise of fresh?and fair?tomatoes from Florida a reality.

CIW is gearing up to expand its Campaign for Fair Food to the Publix, Ahold, Kroger and Trader Joe?s supermarket chains, which together have tremendous market power in the produce industry. So far, only the Whole Foods supermarket chain has signed an agreement with the CIW.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on November 17, 2010 (boomark / email).