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"21st Century Bull Connors" Stand In Way of Progress in Florida's Fields
By Jeffrey Buchanan
Created Apr 19 2008 - 9:48am
This past Tuesday, Chairman Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator Bernie
Sanders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions held a hearing on modern day slavery, persistent labor abuses and
stagnant sub-poverty wages facing farmworkers in Florida's tomato fields.
Two hundred years after the U.S. Congress banned the transatlantic slave
trade and 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, America is still
dealing with human trafficking of workers on our soil and an agricultural
industry dependent on unspeakable labor practices standing in the way of
human rights and social justice.
The hearing included testimony from Lucas Benitez, co-founder of the
Coalition of Immokalee Workers [1] and winner of the 2003 Robert F. Kennedy
Human Rights Award [2]. The CIW is a membership organization of migrant
farmworkers, with over 4,000 members in Immokalee, the heart of Florida's
fruit and vegetable industry, and around the country. Immokalee and the
surrounding portions of Florida is also where the majority of U.S. grown
tomatoes come from during the winter months.
As you read this article, chances are you have a Florida-grown tomato in
your pantry.
Chances also are, according to testimony of Detective Charlie Frost,
investigator for the human trafficking unit at the Collier County Sheriff's
Office, that as you read this article human trafficking is occurring in
Florida's agricultural fields.
Katrina vanden Huevel and Greg Kaufmann, at TheNation.com [3] chronicled
Frost's response to Senator Sanders after being asked if he believed modern
day slavery, also called human trafficking, was occurring "as we speak" in
Florida's fields,
"It's probably occurring right now while we sit here," Frost said. "Almost
assuredly it's going on right now."
"Detective, would you agree that in these slavery cases, there are people
higher up the economic chain who are complicit and who benefit financially
from what goes on?" Sanders asked. "[And if so,] do you believe we need to
change the law to prevent the growers from shielding themselves from
responsibility?"
"They isolate themselves from what is occurring, and they benefit from
what's going on," Frost said. "We have to do something. We have to hold them
accountable. This is occurring in their backyard, this is occurring in our
fields, this is occurring in our country."
Tomato growers and those who purchase their produce have isolated themselves
from the consequences of these abuses. Reggie Brown of the Florida Tomato
Growers Exchange (FTGE), an industry group representing growers whose
harvests account for 90% of Florida's tomatoes and Roy Renya, a management
level employee of Grangier Farms, a local tomato grower, testified they had
never seen such cases in their fields, despite the 7 indictments of forced
labor (of which 3-4 cases involved tomato pickers) in Florida involving over
1,000 workers in recent years, 6 of which were brought to light by the
Coalition of Immokalee Workers cooperation with local and federal law
enforcement, earning the CIW a commendation from FBI Director Robert
Mueller.
Not only has the FTGE denied involvement, but indeed now they are rejecting
a real solution offered by the workers to these deplorable working
conditions. CIW in recent years has led historic campaigns, with the help of
allies like the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, to rally
consumers and negotiate human rights based agreements with fast food
industry leaders Yum! Brands and McDonald's. These agreements called for the
creation of a third party monitoring system protecting against labor abuses
and for these purchasers to agree to pass a penny per pound of tomatoes
purchased directly to workers who picked the produce.
Unfortunately, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has worked to thwart the
implementation of these agreements, claiming they opted out for business
reasons and fear legal liability under anti-trust and racketeering laws.
On the business front, the agreements would not cost growers a penny. The
FTGE had implemented surcharges on tomatoes in the past for purchasers
similar to the penny per a pound on three different occasions - for
chemicals, palletizing shipments and for fuel. As Lucas Benitez testified,
"The only difference with our agreement would be that instead of Monsanto or
Exxon getting paid, the money would go to impoverished workers."
As for the legal fears, during the hearing Senator Sanders introduced a
letter from 26 law professors and statements from two major "white shoe law
firms" with major anti-trust practices, both stating that these concerns are
without legal merit.
So why would the FTGE keep up its campaign to railroad these agreements?
Katrina vanden Huevel and Greg Kaufmann on TheNation.com put it best [4],
"Indeed, it's not too much of a stretch to view [Reggie] Brown [President
of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange] and his cohorts as 21st century
George Wallaces or Bull Connors, standing in the way of the progress of
human rights in our own nation."
As Wallace and Connor stood between civil rights activists and progress
towards Dr. Martin Luther King's vision of "the beloved community," today
FTGE stands in the way of implementing human rights based agreements taking
steps towards creating more dignified working conditions in Florida's
fields. Still FTGE dares to call itself a "progressive" industry.
In response to this standstill, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their
supporters in the Alliance for Fair Food have begun a campaign modeled after
the tactics of 19th century abolitionists who led what amounted to the
world's first human rights campaign which later abolished the slave trade.
Their petition urges Burger King, the Florida Tomatoes Growers Exchange and
food industry leaders to cooperate with the farmworkers to improve the wages
and conditions for the workers who pick their tomatoes, and join an
industry-wide effort to eliminate modern-day slavery and human rights abuses
from Florida's fields.
Farmworkers have reached out to labor leaders, human rights activists,
churches, and students. Supporters across the country have begun educating
their communities on the conditions in Immokalee and how this relates to
their trips to the grocery store or the salad bar or the sandwiches they
purchase for lunch.
You can read more about their effort and sign the petition here [5].
Another great way to support grassroots human rights activists, including
the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and groups like ACORN in New Orleans, as
well as leaders in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Chad and Darfur is by
bidding at charitybuzz.com [6] during the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial [7]
Online Auction with lots from Johnny Depp, Bill Mahrer, Owen Wilson, Ben
Stiller, Tim Russert and many more.
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Jeffrey Buchanan
Created Apr 19 2008 - 9:48am
This past Tuesday, Chairman Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator Bernie
Sanders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions held a hearing on modern day slavery, persistent labor abuses and
stagnant sub-poverty wages facing farmworkers in Florida's tomato fields.
Two hundred years after the U.S. Congress banned the transatlantic slave
trade and 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, America is still
dealing with human trafficking of workers on our soil and an agricultural
industry dependent on unspeakable labor practices standing in the way of
human rights and social justice.
The hearing included testimony from Lucas Benitez, co-founder of the
Coalition of Immokalee Workers [1] and winner of the 2003 Robert F. Kennedy
Human Rights Award [2]. The CIW is a membership organization of migrant
farmworkers, with over 4,000 members in Immokalee, the heart of Florida's
fruit and vegetable industry, and around the country. Immokalee and the
surrounding portions of Florida is also where the majority of U.S. grown
tomatoes come from during the winter months.
As you read this article, chances are you have a Florida-grown tomato in
your pantry.
Chances also are, according to testimony of Detective Charlie Frost,
investigator for the human trafficking unit at the Collier County Sheriff's
Office, that as you read this article human trafficking is occurring in
Florida's agricultural fields.
Katrina vanden Huevel and Greg Kaufmann, at TheNation.com [3] chronicled
Frost's response to Senator Sanders after being asked if he believed modern
day slavery, also called human trafficking, was occurring "as we speak" in
Florida's fields,
"It's probably occurring right now while we sit here," Frost said. "Almost
assuredly it's going on right now."
"Detective, would you agree that in these slavery cases, there are people
higher up the economic chain who are complicit and who benefit financially
from what goes on?" Sanders asked. "[And if so,] do you believe we need to
change the law to prevent the growers from shielding themselves from
responsibility?"
"They isolate themselves from what is occurring, and they benefit from
what's going on," Frost said. "We have to do something. We have to hold them
accountable. This is occurring in their backyard, this is occurring in our
fields, this is occurring in our country."
Tomato growers and those who purchase their produce have isolated themselves
from the consequences of these abuses. Reggie Brown of the Florida Tomato
Growers Exchange (FTGE), an industry group representing growers whose
harvests account for 90% of Florida's tomatoes and Roy Renya, a management
level employee of Grangier Farms, a local tomato grower, testified they had
never seen such cases in their fields, despite the 7 indictments of forced
labor (of which 3-4 cases involved tomato pickers) in Florida involving over
1,000 workers in recent years, 6 of which were brought to light by the
Coalition of Immokalee Workers cooperation with local and federal law
enforcement, earning the CIW a commendation from FBI Director Robert
Mueller.
Not only has the FTGE denied involvement, but indeed now they are rejecting
a real solution offered by the workers to these deplorable working
conditions. CIW in recent years has led historic campaigns, with the help of
allies like the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, to rally
consumers and negotiate human rights based agreements with fast food
industry leaders Yum! Brands and McDonald's. These agreements called for the
creation of a third party monitoring system protecting against labor abuses
and for these purchasers to agree to pass a penny per pound of tomatoes
purchased directly to workers who picked the produce.
Unfortunately, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has worked to thwart the
implementation of these agreements, claiming they opted out for business
reasons and fear legal liability under anti-trust and racketeering laws.
On the business front, the agreements would not cost growers a penny. The
FTGE had implemented surcharges on tomatoes in the past for purchasers
similar to the penny per a pound on three different occasions - for
chemicals, palletizing shipments and for fuel. As Lucas Benitez testified,
"The only difference with our agreement would be that instead of Monsanto or
Exxon getting paid, the money would go to impoverished workers."
As for the legal fears, during the hearing Senator Sanders introduced a
letter from 26 law professors and statements from two major "white shoe law
firms" with major anti-trust practices, both stating that these concerns are
without legal merit.
So why would the FTGE keep up its campaign to railroad these agreements?
Katrina vanden Huevel and Greg Kaufmann on TheNation.com put it best [4],
"Indeed, it's not too much of a stretch to view [Reggie] Brown [President
of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange] and his cohorts as 21st century
George Wallaces or Bull Connors, standing in the way of the progress of
human rights in our own nation."
As Wallace and Connor stood between civil rights activists and progress
towards Dr. Martin Luther King's vision of "the beloved community," today
FTGE stands in the way of implementing human rights based agreements taking
steps towards creating more dignified working conditions in Florida's
fields. Still FTGE dares to call itself a "progressive" industry.
In response to this standstill, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their
supporters in the Alliance for Fair Food have begun a campaign modeled after
the tactics of 19th century abolitionists who led what amounted to the
world's first human rights campaign which later abolished the slave trade.
Their petition urges Burger King, the Florida Tomatoes Growers Exchange and
food industry leaders to cooperate with the farmworkers to improve the wages
and conditions for the workers who pick their tomatoes, and join an
industry-wide effort to eliminate modern-day slavery and human rights abuses
from Florida's fields.
Farmworkers have reached out to labor leaders, human rights activists,
churches, and students. Supporters across the country have begun educating
their communities on the conditions in Immokalee and how this relates to
their trips to the grocery store or the salad bar or the sandwiches they
purchase for lunch.
You can read more about their effort and sign the petition here [5].
Another great way to support grassroots human rights activists, including
the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and groups like ACORN in New Orleans, as
well as leaders in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Chad and Darfur is by
bidding at charitybuzz.com [6] during the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial [7]
Online Auction with lots from Johnny Depp, Bill Mahrer, Owen Wilson, Ben
Stiller, Tim Russert and many more.
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
