On Monday, March 5, the Coalition of Immokale Workers launched a 6-day fast in front of the Publix headquarters in Lakeland, FL. 50 farmworkers and hundreds of their allies from across the country are fasting (drinking only water) in protest of Publix’s refusal to sign a Fair Food Agreement. Under the agreement, Publix would pay an extra penny per pound for tomatoes harvested by farmworkers in the state of Florida.
The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food seeks to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers by calling on major buyers of tomatoes to pay a premium of one penny more per pound for their tomatoes, ensure that this penny is passed down directly to farmworkers, and work together with the CIW to establish and implement a code of conduct in their supply chains.
Since the initial launch of the Campaign for Fair Food in 2001, 5 fast food chains, 3 foodservice corporations, and 2 grocery store chains have signed the agreement — Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Whole Foods Market, Bon Appétit Management Co., Compass Group, Aramark, Sodexo, and in February of this year, Trader Joe’s became the tenth corporation to sign the agreement.
On March 10th the CIW and allies will begin a solemn, 3-mile procession to the Publix headquarters, followed by a ceremony to end the fast.
Take Action!
- Join CIW and allies for the final events on March 10th! Click here for more details.
- Send a messages of support to [email protected] with “solidarity message” in the subject line. Each afternoon, statements of support will be read to the fasters. On day three WhyHunger sent the following statement in show of our support:
As you enter the half-way point in your Fast for Fair Food at the Publix headquarters, WhyHunger would like to share our encouragement and deep gratitude for your powerful action for fair food and dignity for all. We know that the impact of the fast will extend far beyond Publix and beyond the workers of Immokalee—your actions get to the heart of the global struggle over the future of the food system, whether it will be one that serves people’s needs or corporate greed. We stand with you in this struggle, and we will continue to do so after Publix agrees to do the right thing and until there is justice for all workers in the food system.
- Show your support by supporting and celebrating farworkers in your local community like our friends at San Luis High School in San Luis, AZ who created a dance with choreographer Kimi Eisele and support from the Arizona Commission on the Arts to tribute farmworkers.” See video below.
- Learn more about Farmworkers at the www.!
- Leave a comment and share what you’re doing in your community to show support for Farmworkers!
