Call on Publix to ensure justice for tomato pickers!
Publix is Florida's major supermarket chain and a large buyer of Florida tomatoes. Unfortunately, while Publix has a reputation for community involvement, it has yet to join the Fair Food program to help ensure fair wages and conditions for those who harvest its tomatoes.
What You Can Do:
• Write a letter to Publix Headquarters encouraging them to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to ensure fair wages and conditions for tomato pickers. Click here for a sample letter.
Mr. Ed Crenshaw, CEO
Publix Super Markets Corporate Office
PO Box 407
Lakeland, FL 33802-0407
• Ask to speak to the Manager of your local Publix, explain the situation to him/her, and ask the manager to pass this letter onto Corporate Headquarters (or write your own letter) along with your concern as a local customer. Click here for a sample script. To see a report from CIW/IA Manager Letter deliveries, click here.
• Invite members of your congregation or group to sign postcards to Publix and mail them in to Corporate Headquarters. Contact us for pre-printed postcards to Publix - just let us know how many you'd like and where we should send them to.
• Join farmworkers and their famillies on March 5, 2010 in Tampa. More details TBA.
Publix GreenWise Clergy Letter
Letter to Publix from Bishop Frank Dewane of the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida.
Letter to Publix from Bishop Timothy Whitaker, Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Letter to Publix from the Rev. Kent Siladi, Conference Minister, Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ
Letter to Publix signed by over 20 national religious institutions and endorsers of the Alliance for Fair Food
Joint Statement by the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida & South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice
Guest Commentary by the Rev. Dana Hendershot of Christus Victor Lutheran Church in the Naples Daily News.
Guest Opinion by the Rev. Jim Boler, a retired United Church of Christ minister, published in the Ft. Myers News-Press
Letter to Publix from Barry University Law School Professors
Ft. Myers News-Press article about Publix, farmworkers, and people from local congregations who have gotten involved in calling on Publix to do the right thing.
Florida Weekly article: "Coalition asks Publix to pay a fair price for tomatoes, too."
Click here for past media and press around efforts to engage Publix.
