08879
November 25, 2008
Immokalee workers set sights on Subway
CIW headed to Connecticut to seek end to exploitation of field workers
LOUISVILLE — Having reached landmark agreements with many fast-food giants and one grocery chain, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is hitting the road again — this time to seek an agreement with Subway sandwich restaurants.
Members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-backed Florida farmworkers organization are leaving Dec. 2 on a 10-day swing through the Northeast aimed at bringing public attention to the exploitation of farmworkers in the fields where Subway’s tomatoes are harvested.
In the last three years, the CIW has reached agreements with Yum! Brands — parent company of Taco Bell — as well as with McDonalds, Burger King and Whole Foods grocery chain — that improve wages and working conditions for Florida’s tomato pickers, most of whom are natives of the Caribbean and Central America.
The coalition was also recently instrumental in securing the convictions of five Florida agricultural contractors for human slavery.
“The vision of a food system that ensures human rights for farmworkers is one that, even now, is beginning to bear fruit,” the CIW said in a press release announcing the trip to Subway’s headquarters in Milford, CT. “And yet, Subway, one of the leaders in the industry, is dragging its feet, refusing to grab hold of this vision and become part of creating a more just future.”
The CIW “truth tour” will generally follow the I-95 corridor from Florida to Connecticut.
The PC(USA) has been a partner with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for many years as part of the denomination’s Fair Food campaign. The campaign, among other efforts, supports agreements between fast food and grocery companies to:
- pay a penny per pound increase to workers harvesting tomatoes for Florida tomato suppliers;
- work with the CIW to develop an enforceable, human rights based code of conduct to address human rights violations, including modern-day slavery in the fields.
On its trip, the Subway Tour delegation will be meeting with local student, church, labor, and community groups and organizing actions at local Subway restaurants. The schedule:
December 2 — Miami, FL
December 3 — Raleigh-Durham, NC
December 4 — Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD
December 5 — Philadelphia
December 6 — Boston and Providence, RI
December 7 & 8 — New Haven & Milford, CT
December 9 & 10 — New York City
For more information about specific events, or to help organize an event in your community, contact the Rev. Noelle Damico, National Coordinator of the PC(USA) Campaign for Fair Food or Jessica Bass, intern with the PC(USA) Campaign for Fair Food from Yale Divinity School.
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