The Coalition of Immokalee Workers are taking their Campaign for Fair Food a step further. The farmers, along with the support of the Student Farmworker Alliance and local friends, rallied yesterday at the University of Florida. The CIW is currently calling upon Aramark (the university's food provider) and Publix to sign an agreement for fair wages for the farmers of Immokalee.
In the past, the CIW has successfully made agreements with Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonald's, Whole Foods, Subway, Compass Group and a few others.
They are asking for these corporations to pay the tomato farmers 1 cent more per lb. of tomatos. This may not seem like a lot to the average person, but it is a huge increase for the farmers' salaries.
They are also asking Publix and Aramark to sign an agreement requesting that they not do business with growers who partake in any form of modern-day slavery.
There have been many recorded cases of farmers being held against their will, beat, and chained up over night.
Not to mention the terrible conditions in which they are forced to live in.
Last night, a woman spoke of a two-room trailer with rodents and cockroaches. She said they typically put 7-8 people in each unit because they can't afford anything else.
Please, if you have any free time, use it to educate yourself a little more about this.
You can read all about their past and current struggles in the fight for fair food here.
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