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Nearly 1500 farmworkers and supporters participate in Farmworker Freedom March!
People of faith, students, and consumers from across Florida joined farmworkers for the 3-day Farmworker Freedom March from Tampa to Publix's Headquarters in Lakeland, Florida. Tampa religious leaders from the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, the Florida-Bahamas Lutheran Synod, and World Council of Churches North America blessed the marchers as they set off on Friday morning.
On Saturday afternoon, Bishop Wenski of the 
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando joined the march. He addressed the marchers outside of Publix Headquarters:
"In ten years, you have seen results. McDonald’s did not want to listen to you; now they do. Burger King did not want to listen to you; now they do. Subway did not want to listen to you; now they do. And Publix, one day, will also listen to you."
Episcopalian, United Methodist, Catholic, United Church of Christ and Presbyterian clergy joined Bishop Wenski for a powerful prayer vigil to call on Publix to do the right thing.
On Sunday, nearly 1500 people peacefully walked through Lakeland to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for culminating rally. The Rev. Kent Siladi, Conference Minister for the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ addressed the crowd. Don't miss the press coverage from the march:
WMNF Radio Report on Vigil and Rally
WMNF Radio Report from Day 1 (includes interviews with religious leaders)
Orlando Sentinel: Activists Target Publix's Tomatoes, 4/21/10
AP Story in ABC News: Pickers want FL chain to pay more for Tomatoes, 4/16/10
Lakeland Ledger: Protestors Pressure Publix to Sign a Deal, 4/19/10
Complete Photo Report from the CIW
CIW announces Modern-day Slavery Museum
We invite you to save the dates for the CIW's "Farmworker Freedom March" from April 16-18, 2010! The CIW will march from Tampa to Publix's hometown of Lakeland, Florida to call for "Freedom from forced labor; Freedom from abuse; Freedom from poverty and degradation."
The CIW has also announced a mobile "Modern-day Slavery Museum" that will tour Florida in the lead-up to the Farmworker Freedom March. This traveling museum about agricultural slavery will be in the form of a box-truck outfitted as a replica of the trucks involved in the latest farmworker slavery prosecution and will contain multiple educational displays about modern-day slavery in Florida agriculture, its history, its roots, its causes, and its solutions.
We hope you will plan to join farmworkers and supporters from around the state on April 16-18th to call on Publix to help end sub-poverty wages and abuses in Florida's fields. Visit the Farmworker Freedom March website for more details or contact us at info@interfaithact.org for more information about how you can get involved with the traveling slavery museum and the Farmworker Freedom March.
On December 6th, in a spectacular declaration of alliance for a more humane food industry, over 500 farmworkers and their consumer allies traveled to Publix's hometown of Lakeland, Florida, with a clear message for Florida's supermarket giant: Work with the CIW to ensure fair wages and conditions for the farmworkers who pick your tomatoes.
The colorful and joyous action lasted nearly five hours -- moving from a picket to a "Walk for Farmworker Justice" to a rally with a powerful Call and Response. At right, the Rev. Dana Hendershot speaks as part of the call and response, noting "A new day is dawning across the fields of Florida; a day characterized by respect, equality and dignity among the human beings who harvest, grow, sell and consume the food we eat. We pray that Publix would cease its opposition and join in working with the CIW now."
The event coincided with a flurry of media attention to Publix's refusal to do the right thing. Here's the link to all the recent news coverage:
Photo by Cindy Skop, Lakeland Ledger.
-Lakeland Ledger: Hundreds of Farm Workers Protest Working Conditions.
-St. Petersburg Times: Hey, Publix, pony up a penny per pound."
-Fort Myers News-Press: Coalition of Immokalee Workers pay Publix a visit.
-Palm Beach Post: Publix in the Wrong Aisle.
-Miami Herald: Pay Tomato Pickers Fairly. (Letter to the Editor by Rev. Frank Corbishley)
-Lakeland Ledger: Tomato Pickers Put Pressure on Publix, Say Issue Is Pay vs. Poverty. (Letter to the Editor)
-The Packer: Coalition of Immokalee Workers pickets Publix.
Photo by Cindy Skop, Lakeland Ledger
Photo by Cindy Skop, Lakeland Ledger
For more photos and complete report from the Walk for Farmworker Justice, click here.
IA's Brigitte Gynther receives 2009 Cardinal Bernardin Award
Brigitte Gynther of Interfaith Action is the recipient the 2009 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Catholic Campaign for Human Development! Brigitte was chosen "for her role in supporting and empowering farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as they pursue fair wages, improved working conditions and an end to modern-day slavery in the fields." The national award honors a young person who "demonstrates leadership in fighting poverty and injustice in the US through community-based solutions." On Monday, Nov. 16, Brigitte received the award at a reception as part of the annual fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. Click here to read the press release from the USCCB.
Join the CIW and IA in a National Day of Prayer
In the early hours of November 18, 2007, Mariano Lucas hung from the ceiling inside the cargo hold of a box truck a few blocks off Main St. in Immokalee, Florida punching his way through the ventilation hatch. Join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida and allies of faith around the country in a candlelight vigil to remember this day and to pray for the end of modern-day slavery. Join us in praying for Publix to work with the CIW to end slavery in the tomato fields.
For resources for the candlelight vigil, click here.
Nov. 7 & 8: Two Days, Five Pickets!
With actions in Lake Worth, Miami, North Miami, Coral Gables, and Hollywood, the "Month of Publix Protests" hit the road again this weekend, taking its message to the streets of South Florida with colorful signs and a contagious spirit, winning the hearts of thousands of Miami consumers with the message of "Fair Food."
(picture above by Miami New Times).
Orlando Picket on November 1st
On October 31st, as a way to celebrate Halloween, the CIW and allies picketed in front of the Publix on 2015 Edgewater Drive ion Orlando. The next day, November 1st, almost 150 people picketed in front of the Publix at 1400 East Colonial Drive in downtown Orlando.
Florida religious leaders added their voices to the call on Publix to do the right thing.
To read the editorial by The Rev. Dana Hendershot click here
To read the editorial by The Rev. Jim Boler click here
The Rev. Kent Siladi, Conference Minister of the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ wrote: "There is a clear path toward ensuring fair wages and conditions for those who pick the tomatoes that Publix sells in its stores.... Surely Publix would like to be counted... as a responsible neighbor to those who help to provide the produce that helps Publix be a profitable organization..." For the Rev. Kent J. Siladi's letter to Publix, click here
Bishop Dewane wrote the following as part of a letter to Publix's CEO: "By entering into an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, more desirable working conditions can be put into effect. A proper monitoring system involving both your company and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers can go a long way in recognizing the human dignity of the workers..." For his letter to Publix, click here
Another exciting weekend of Publix pickets!
On Saturday, Oct. 24th, Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida (IA) and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) joined community members and students from the University of Florida for a lively picket at a Gainesville Publix. The next day, after sharing with Gainesville faith communities, the Immokalee delegation headed to Tampa and joined local allies for another Publix picket. The events generated several media articles, including "100 farmworkers protest low price for tomatoes" in the Northeast News & Tribune and "More than 100 protest Immokalee workers' wages" in UF's Independent Florida Alligator.
Above left, a group of Tampa faith and student leaders speak with the manager of a local Publix.
Powerful Vigil and Publix pickets mark first weekend of Publix events!
On October 17th and 18th, people of faith from around Southwest Florida joined the CIW and IA in their first weekend of Publix pickets. Saturday began with a Publix picket in Naples followed by events in Port Charlotte and Venice. On Sunday, after sharing in Venice-area congregations, over one-hundred people picked at a Sarasota Publix. The weekend ended with a powerful candelight vigil that started in front of the Federal Court House in Fort Myers, where the most recent Florida slavery case was prosecuted, and ended at a local Publix.
The Southwest Florida weekend of events generated numerous articles and media stories, including:
"Farmworkers picket Publix wanting grocery chain to pay more for tomatoes,"
Naples Daily News
ABC News coverage
Click here for information on upcoming events around the state
Labor Day Bike Tour draws attention to Publix's inaction following farmworker slavery conviction
On Labor Day, members of First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, along with farmworkers from Immokalee and allies from Interfaith Action, delivered Manager Letters to local Publix supermarkets in a very unique way-- a 10-mile bicycle "Labor Day Freedom Ride"! Click here to watch the great video coverage from Local News 6.
Leonel Perez of the CIW explained the importance of food industry leaders working with the CIW to erradicate abuses. He spoke of the unimaginable brutality of the most recently prosecuted slavery operation, in which farmworkers were locked in a box truck, beaten, and physically restrained. The enslaved farmworkers were taken to work on area tomato farms, including two Florida tomato industry leaders: Six L's and Pacific.
Whole Foods, in keeping with the zero-tolerance for slavery provision of the code of conduct it developed
with the CIW as part of the agreement reached last fall, cut purchases from Six L's and Pacific. Publix, however -- as revealed in the produce section of the Longboat Key Publix supermarket visited by the bike delegation -- continues to purchase tomatoes from both Six L´s and Pacific, two farms where the victims of a recent farmworker slavery case were taken to work. To the right, Leonel Perez of the CIW holds the Six L's and Pacific tomatoes found in the Longboat Key Publix.
You can join in delivering a letter to your local Publix Manager urging Publix to work with the CIW to ensure an end to slavery and other abuses in Florida's fields. Scroll down for more details about delivering a letter to your local Publix.
Florida Religious Leaders letters to Publix
Read the letter from Rev. Kent Siladi, Conference Minister, Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ
Read the letter from Bishop Timothy Whitaker, Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Deliver a letter to the Manager of your Local Publix 
This weekend, CIW and Interfaith Action members visited several South Florida Publix supermarkets to bring their message of fair wages and human rights directly to local managers. Farmworkers explained to the managers the conditions they endure daily in the fields, including sub-poverty wages that have not risen significantly in over thirty years, as well as the rash of modern-day slavery cases that arise from these conditions. The managers listened intently, some even reading the entire letter on the spot.
The delegation urged the managers to pass the letters onto Publix corporate headquarters. If you are in the Southeast, you too can join farmworkers in calling on Publix to work with the CIW to ensure dignity and justice in Florida’s fields.Click here for a letter that you can deliver to your Publix manager and here for a sample script. If you live elsewhere in the country, click here to find a supermarket near you.
The delegation also noted that Publix continues to sell tomatoes from Six L's, one of the tomato growers where the victims from the most recent farmworker slavery prosecution were taken to work.
As Publix continues to turn a blind eye to abuses in its tomato supply chain, it is up to you to call on them to be part of the solution and finally work with the CIW to end poverty and human rights abuses in Florida's fields.
Download your Publix Manager letter today and find more information and materials about the Publix campaign. Or click here to find another supermarket near you.
Call on Publix, Kroger and Stop & Shop or Giant to ensure fair wages and conditions for tomato pickers! To see which of these companies owns a supermarket near you, click here.
Two of Florida's largest organic growers agree to pass the penny-per-pound wage increase onto farmworkers!
Whole Foods Market confirmed today that Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms have reached agreements with Whole Foods to support the CIW's penny-per-pound program and meet strict labor standards. This step forward by Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms effectively breaks the stalemate established nearly two seasons ago when the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE) threatened to fine any of its members that sold tomatoes under the terms of the CIW agreements.
As the CIW explained, "The Campaign for Fair Food is bearing fruit. For nearly two seasons, the Campaign’s promise of fair wages for Florida's farmworkers has been held hostage by the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange. Today, however, the higher wages and fairer conditions we have fought for will begin to reach the workers who so clearly deserve them, thanks to the leadership of Whole Foods Market and the forward thinking growers at Alderman Farms and Lady Moon Farms. Without a doubt, the food market is changing, and for the better. Sustainability, social as well as environmental, is the way of the future. Together we -- as farmworkers, farmers, and buyers -- are forging a path toward that better future."
For more details and to read the complete press release from Whole Foods, visit www.ciw-online.org.
The CIW and Bon Appetit Management Company, a socially responsible food service company operating 400 university and corporate cafés in 29 states, have forged a new agreement that frames acceptable working conditions and enforces those conditions with a strict code of conduct.
Fedele Bauccio, CEO of Bon Appétit Management Company: "America's agricultural workers do jobs that are far more difficult and dangerous than the average retail or restaurant worker, yet these jobs are critical to our entire food chain. When I met with workers in the fields and saw first-hand how difficult their lives are, I knew that I could not, in good conscience, contribute to such a system. We buy almost 5 million pounds of tomatoes a year. I decided to use that power to make a real difference in the supply chain."
Gerardo Reyes of the CIW: "The future of a fairer tomato industry is being written today, and this agreement is a rough draft. It's not a final product, and it's not meant to be. But it is a great first cut at building a relationship between farmworkers and their employers based on a genuine appreciation for the value of farmworkers' labor - something that has been absent since the birth of the agricultural industry in Florida - and driven by a vision of universal human rights. We see this as a golden opportunity for Florida's smaller, family-scale farmers to gain access to a market that has traditionally been beyond their reach, and to help elevate Florida's agricultural industry in the process."
The agreement includes guarantees of real improvements in wages and working conditions, and provides preferential purchasing incentives for growers who are willing to raise the bar yet further. Highlights of the agreement include:
*A "Minimum Fair Wage" - Workers will be paid a wage premium that reflects the unique rigors and uncertainty of farm labor.
*An end to traditional forms of wage abuse - Through standards requiring growers to implement time clocks and to reconcile wages paid with pounds harvested, workers will be paid for every hour worked and every pound picked.
*Worker empowerment - Workers will be informed of their rights through a system jointly developed by the growers and the CIW. Growers will also collaborate with the CIW and Bon Appétit to implement and enforce a process for workers to pursue complaints without fear of retribution.
*Worker safety - A worker-controlled health and safety committee will give farmworkers a voice in addressing potentially dangerous working conditions, including pesticide, heat, and machinery issues.
*Third-party monitoring - Growers will permit third-party monitoring that includes worker participation.
Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder of the UFW also commented on the agreement, saying "We congratulate Bon Appétit Management Company for their support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to bring humane treatment to those that bring the food to our table. This historic partnership between the food industry and farmworkers can end the slavery and slave-like conditions that farmworkers are subjected to in Florida and other states. ¡Si Se Puede!"
March 27th- Governor Crist's Letter to the CIW.
March 25th- Florida Governor Crist meets with the CIW.
"I was deeply moved by what they had to say and we want to help them as much as we possibly can," Gov. Crist told the Naples Daily News following the meeting.
CIW and Subway reach agreement!
Photo: Gerardo Reyes (seated right) of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Jan Risi (seated left), President and CEO of Subway's Miami-based Independent Purchasing Cooperative, commemorate the agreement. They are joined by other members of the CIW, Interfaith Action, and the Miami community, including the Rev. Frank Corbishley, Episcopal Chaplain at the University of Miami, and the Rev. Dr. Lucy Hitchcock Seck, Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami.
Tuesday, December 2nd, on the first day of the Northeast Tour that was headed for Subway's headquarters, Subway agreed to work with the CIW to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers!
Subway, the biggest fast-food buyer of Florida tomatoes, will pay an additional net penny per pound to the Florida farm workers who harvest its tomatoes. Subway also joins in calling on the Florida tomato industry to institute an industry-wide penny per pound surcharge to increase wages for all Florida tomato harvesters.
The Subway/CIW collaboration provides for a more stringent supplier code of conduct that includes farmworker participation in the monitoring of growers' compliance and strict “zero tolerance” guidelines for the most egregious labor rights violations. Subway has taken the additional step of extending these higher standards to the vendor code of conduct governing its entire supply chain, not just tomatoes. Further, Subway has committed its support for the development of an industry-wide code of conduct that will create a uniform set of standards for all Florida tomato growers and purchasers.
Subway now joins Yum Brands, McDonald's, Burger King and Whole Foods in working for fair wages and human rights for farmworkers in their tomato supply chains. With clear leadership from the fast-food industry, it's time for large tomato purchasers in the supermarket and food service industries to also step up.
For more information on the Subway agreement:
"Immokalee workers reach agreement with Subway," Presbyterian News Service article.
"Subway to pay more for tomatoes," Ft. Myers News-Press article.
For more on the Northeast Tour, click here.
Calling on Chipotle to live up to "Food with Integrity"
From Sept 30th-Oct 14th, CIW farmworkers and Interfaith Action staff traveled from Immokalee to Chipotle's headquarters in Denver and back with stops in Austin, Wichita, Lawrence KS, St. Louis, Louisville, and Asheville for educational events, presentations, and Chipotle pickets. At Chipotle's headquarters we held a 30-hour vigil, including an interfaith prayer service (above). 
The tour included sharing in Sunday services and informational tables...
As well as lively Chipotle protests and the opportunity to talk with Chipotle Managers who will be passing the message onto corporate headquarters.
The climax of the tour was the delivery of thousands of petition signatures to Chipotle's Vice-President of Loss Prevention, Mr. Tim Spong, and the opportunity to explain to Mr. Spong exactly why Chipotle's claim that it will be reviewing its own code of conduct without participation from the farmworkers does not guarantee the needed changes nor a mechanism for verifying or monitoring compliance.
For a day-by-day photo essay of the tour stops, click here.
For more background on the Chipotle Campaign, click here.
For pre-printed postcards to send to Chipotle, contact us at 239-986-0688 or info@interfaithact.org
Whole Foods and CIW Reach Agreement
September 9, 2008 – Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the Florida-based farm worker organization spearheading the growing Campaign for Fair Food, announced today that the two will work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers.
According to an agreement signed this week, Whole Foods Market will support the CIW’s “penny-per-pound” approach for tomatoes purchased from Florida, with the goal of passing these additional funds on to the harvesters. Click here for more details.
Five Plead Guilty in Farmworker Slavery Case
To read the offical Department of Justice Press Release click here.
In federal court on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, farm bosses from Immokalee pled guilty to "numerous charges of enslaving Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, brutalizing them and forcing them to work in farm fields." ("Five to plead guilty on charges of enslaving immigrant laborers," Ft. Myers News Press, 9/2/08). According to the News-Press report:
"The 17-count indictment in the case - one of the largest slavery prosecutions Southwest Florida has ever seen - was originally released in January. It alleged that, for two years, Cesar Navarrete and Geovanni Navarrete held more than a dozen people in boxes, trucks and shacks on the family property, chaining and beating them, forcing them to work in farm fields in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina while keeping them in ever-increasing debt.
Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy called it "slavery, plain and simple."
You may remember this case as the prosecution that began when workers escaped from the ventilation hatch of a locked box truck. They made their way to the Collier County Sheriff’s office on the same day that the Miami Herald reported on a delegation of representatives from the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange and an industry-friendly "third-party" monitoring group named Intertek who visited Immokalee to declare Florida's fields free of slavery.
The CIW issued the following statement about the convictions:
"The facts that have been reported in this case are beyond outrageous -- workers being beaten, tied to posts, and chained and locked into trucks to prevent them from leaving their boss. How many more workers have to be held against their will before the food industry steps up to the plate and demands that this never -- ever -- occur again in the produce that ends up on America's tables?"
"What's most frustrating is that there is a solution. As US Senator Bernie Sanders said when he visited Immokalee, 'Slavery is the extreme. The norm is a disaster.' If we can improve the norm -- guarantee fair wages and humane conditions for all Florida farmworkers-- then we can eliminate the extreme. And there are now several retail food industry leaders who have agreed to do their part to promote social responsibility in Florida agriculture. Yet the leaders of Florida's tomato industry -- who are holding their annual meeting this week at the Ritz Carlton in Naples -- continue to stand in the way of progress. The FTGE needs to start working with Yum Brands, McDonald's, Burger King, and the other major tomato buyers who want to put an end to exploitation in Florida's fields."
Click here to read a strong statement by Senator Sanders on the case.
August 22 - Socially responsible investors join the call for Chipotle to do the right thing
The Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board, who have worked with CIW to file shareholder resolutions in the past, have sent a strong letter to Chipotle, calling on the chain to live up to its "Food with Integrity" slogan and ensure human rights for the farmworkers who pick its tomatoes.
Click here to read the letter.
June 30- UU General Assembly Calls for End to Slavery in the Fields
The Unitarian Universalist General Assembly passes Action of Immediate Witness urging congregations to work with the Alliance for Fair Food and the CIW "in calling upon restaurant and grocery corporations to end slavery and sweatshops in the fields."
Read the full resolution here.
June 13- CIW and IA Address Young Adult Ecumenical Forum on Slavery and Human Trafficking
Members from the CIW and Interfaith Action shared with young adults at the annual North American World Council of Churches Young Adult Ecumenical Forum about slavery rings in Florida's fields, and how young people of faith are getting involved to stop them.
Find out more in the following stories from the United Methodist News Service:
Tomato picker shares personal story at forum
Young adults address slavery, human trafficking
United Methodists declare victory for farm workers
May 23-CIW and Burger King to work together to improve farmworker wages and conditions!!
On Friday, May 23, at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol, the CIW and Burger King signed an agreement to work together to improve farmworker wages and working conditions in Burger King's tomato supply chain. This was possible because of the letters, prayers, and solidarity of people of faith from across Florida and the country.
Watch the video of the press conference from Sojourners.
The press conference/signing was hosted by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders at the U.S. Capitol, with a statement also released from Senator Durbin. Despite the extremely last minute nature of the event, the CIW was also joined by representatives from the Presbyterian Church (USA), Sojourners, the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Mr. John Carr, Executive Director of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development delivered a statement by Bishop Murphy, Chair of that committee, at the press conference.
Here are the details of the agreement:
* Burger King Corporation has agreed to pay an additional net penny per pound for Florida tomatoes to increase wages for the Florida farm workers who harvest tomatoes. To encourage grower participation in this increased wage program, BK will also fund incremental payroll taxes and administrative costs incurred by the growers as a result of their farmworkers' increased wages, or a total of 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes.
* BK also joins other fast-food industry leaders and the CIW in calling for an industry-wide net penny per pound surcharge to increase wages for Florida tomato harvesters.
* BK and the CIW have established zero tolerance guidelines for certain unlawful activities that require immediate termination of any grower from the BURGER KING® supply chain. The BKC/CIW collaboration additionally provides for farmworker participation in the monitoring of growers' compliance with the company's vendor code of conduct.
THANK YOU to everyone for your hard work on the petition campaign, letter-writing, praying, and more!! After a year of pressure, the world's second-largest hamburger chain will be ensuring justice for those who pick its tomatoes.
For additional pictures and coverage of the agreement ceremony, visit the CIW website.
May 7-New York Times editorial on Burger King
April 28-CIW, Interfaith Action, and people across Florida deliver 85,000 petitions to Burger King
Feb 25 - Catholic Campaign for Human Development Honors CIW with 2008 Sister Margaret Cafferty Award
Read the National Catholic Reporter Article
During a ceremony at the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, DC, the CIW was recognized for its work fighting farmworker poverty and modern-day slavery with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development's 2008 Sister Margaret Cafferty Development of People Award. Shown here are Gerardo Reyes of the CIW, right, and CCHD Director Ralph McCloud, with the award.
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the domestic anti-poverty and social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Its mission is to address the root causes of poverty in the United States through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education.
The award, named in memory of the late Presentation Sister who served as executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and a member of the Catholic Bishops' Committee for CCHD, honors an individual or group who exemplifies a commitment to the development of people and the elimination of poverty. Recipients of this award have made significant contributions to human development and have offered heroic responses to the needs of the economically disadvantaged. The award was established 20 years ago in 1987 and was called the Development of People Award until 1997, when it was renamed in Sister Margaret Cafferty's honor after her death.
Feb 1 - National Farm Worker Ministry Board and Miami clergy hold an interfaith prayer vigil at Burger King Headquarters and deliver bitter herbs. Click here for pictures and a full report.
Jan 19 - U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders visits Immokalee and releases letters from four U.S. Senators (Sen. Kennedy, Sen. Durbin, Sen. Brown, and Sen. Sanders) to Burger King and to the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.
See more about Senator Sanders' visit and a video of his powerful speech during the press conference by clicking here.
Find all the news articles from Senator Sanders' visit and press conference
at Senator Sanders' website.
Jan 18 - A federal grand jury indictes six people for their part in what US Attorney Doug Malloy called "Slavery, plain and simple" Read the Ft. Myers News-Press article about "one of the largest slavery prosecutions Southwest Florida has ever seen," which involved Immokalee tomato pickers.
Photo by Scott RobertsonDec 24- "Tomato Pickers' Wages Fight Faces Obstacles." New York Times article examining Burger King's refusal to improve tomato pickers' wages and conditions.
Dec 19 - "Slave Labour that shames America: Migrant workers chained beaten and forced into debt, exposing the human cost of producing cheap food." A front-page special by the British publication The Independent about the newest slavery investigation in the Florida tomato industry.
December 14th-- Join Sojourners in calling on Burger King to stop being a Scrooge this holiday season!
Send an e-mail to Burger King and Goldman Sachs via Sojourners.
Read the God's Politics Blog about Burger Scrooge.
Read former President Jimmy Carter's letter to the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.
Over 100 National and Florida Religious Leaders send an open letter to Burger King! Click here to read the letter.
Signers of the letter include the Rev. Michael Livingston, President of the National Council of Churches; the Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); the Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ; Jim Winkler, General Secretary, United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society; the Rev. William G. Sinkford, President, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. Click here to read the letter
In the photo, a delegation of religious leaders, including Rev. Kent Siladi, Conference Minister of the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ, and Rev. Marta Burke of Fulford United Methodist Church, deliver the letter to Burger King officials during the rally at Burger King Headquarters on Friday, November 30th.
1,500 farmworkers, people of faith, youth, and others march to Burger King Headquarters! Click here for photos from the colorful 9-mile march to Burger King Headquarters, the delivery of the letter to Burger King, and the closing candlelight vigil.
People of faith from across Florida and the country joined with the farmworkers of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for November 30th's march and rally to Burger King Headquarters. In the photo, Bishop Estevez of the Archdiocese of Miami addresses the farmworkers and allies as they prepare to begin the march to call on Burger King to join McDonald's and Yum Brands in paying one more penny per pound to directly improve tomato pickers' wages and work with the CIW to develop and implement a code of conduct against human rights abuses in the fields.
Click here for photos from the colorful 9-mile march to Burger King Headquarters, the delivery of the letter to Burger King, and the closing candlelight vigil.at the CIW's march website.
September 27, 2007 - Florida Mini Tour
CIW and IA hit the road on a Florida Mini Tour!
For updates from the road as CIW members and IA staff travel the state of Florida sharing about the Campaign for Fair Food and the November 30th Burger King Mobilization, visit the CIW's website.
September 17, 2007 - New Book on Slavery
If you're looking for some interesting reading, a new book by John Bowe entitled "Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy" was released in bookstores this week. "Nobodies" features the CIW "for its key role in bringing several farm worker slavery cases to successful prosecution in court," according to a St. Petersburg Times article on the book.
A USA Today review of "Nobodies" finds it to be.... "Investigative, immersion reporting at its best"... "fine tuned and fearless"... "a masterwork and mixing pot of ideas."
Author John Bowe takes an in-depth look at three modern-day slavery prosecutions, including the 2004 Ramos case in Central Florida that was discovered and investigated by CIW members. This case is featured in an excerpt from the book posted on the Wall Street Journal online, which begins:
"On April 20, 1997, at around 10 p.m., the Highlands County, Florida, Sheriff's Office received a 911 call; something strange had happened out in the migrant-worker ghetto near Highlands Boulevard. The "neighborhood," a mishmash of rotting trailer homes and plywood shacks, was hidden outside the town of Lake Placid, a mile or two back from the main road. By day, the place was forbidding and cheerless, silent, its forlorn dwellings perched awry, in seeming danger of oozing into the swamp. By night, it was downright menacing, humid and thick with mosquitoes.
When the sheriff's officers arrived, they found an empty van parked beside a lonely, narrow lane. The doors were closed, the lights were still on, and a few feet away, in the steamy hiss of night, a man lay facedown in a pool of blood. He had been shot once in the back of the head, execution-style. Beyond his body stood a pay phone, mounted on a pole.
The 911 caller had offered a description of a truck the sheriff's officers recognized as belonging to a local labor contractor named Ramiro Ramos. At 1:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to Ramos's house. It's unclear how much the officers knew about the relationship between Ramos and his employees... "
Find the full excerpt here.
September 3, 2007 - Catholic Bishops' Labor Day Statement and more!
As we honor work and workers this Labor Day, the CIW and the McDonald's agreement are highlighted as a "Sign of Hope" in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops annual Labor Day Statement issued by Bishop DiMarzio, Chairman of the Domestic Policy Committee. An excerpt:
"This sign of hope is, first and foremost, the achievement of the Coalition and the workers themselves. They organized, protested, fasted, demonstrated, insisted, and would not be pushed aside. When no one gave them much of a chance, they stood up for their own lives, dignity, and rights.... this is also a sign of hope for our Church that has supported and stood with these workers in their just cause and legitimate aspirations.... The Catholic Bishops of Florida, the broader religious community, the labor movement, and many others called for dialogue and greater justice.... But in the final analysis, it is the workers who created this sign of hope for the rest of us. They are an example of how courage, sacrifice, and a passion for justice can make a difference. There is much more to be done and a long way to go for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and for all farmworkers who remain among the most invisible, neglected, and vulnerable workers in our nation. However, as we mark Labor Day in 2007, this small but impressive sign of hope is worth celebrating. It offers a call to all of us to stand with vulnerable workers who deserve our support and solidarity."
As the CIW's efforts to expand the Yum Brands and McDonald's agreements to the rest of industry and bring justice to all Florida tomato pickers, religious leaders and people of many faiths continue to take an important role. Most recently, the new Conference Minister of the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ, Rev. Kent Siladi, sent a strong letter Burger King! Here's an excerpt:
"Surely you are aware of the crisis in Florida’s tomato fields. The conditions of the workers in our fields are appalling.... The offer to “retrain” farm workers for employment at Burger King restaurants is not a solution to the problem. The problem exists because of the poor working conditions among the farmers who grow the tomatoes that your company uses. A penny more per pound for the tomatoes that you purchase is a real and viable solution...I urge you to work with the CIW to bring about real and substantial change for Florida farm workers. "
A copy of Rev. Siladi's letter to Burger King was hand-delivered to Burger King representatives by Miami clergy during a Labor Day action at Burger King's Headquarters this past Friday. Later that day, the CIW announced plans for three days of action focused on Burger King Headquarters starting on Friday, November 30th, following the Burger King shareholder meeting. More details to come!
