2008 ENCUENTRO UPDATE

100+ students and youth hold powerful Encuentro in Immokalee; launch whirlwind of action for fair food

In the tradition of SFA, more than 100+ students from across the country gathered once again for the 2008 Encuentro in Immokalee, Florida. It was four fun filled days for the youth and older SFA'ers that gathered. During the time spent at the Encuentro it SFA members spent the time strenghtening the connections meeting other members from across the country, and strategizing for the upcoming months of action in regards to Chipotle and Subway.

The youth gathered not only made stronger ties and had several meetings to learn and brainstorm for the current campaigns, but they also took time out for some fun, catching up with old friends, making new friends and allies throughout the country.

and lets not forget our victories:




as the CIW will work towards another victory with Chipotle & Subway signing the agreemtns, this will happen with the aid of todays youth, the Student Farmworker Alliance across the country, the Fair Food Nation and all allies working towards this end!! Hasta La Victoria!!

for more exciting updates visit: http://sfalliance.org/ and http://ciw-online.org/

2008 MINI-TOUR UPDATE

A great event at CU Boulder . . .

Please Forward!!!!

The Coalition of Immokalee Worker's 2008
"Chipocrisy" Tour coming to Boulder and Denver!!!!

Monday, Oct 6 at 8pm in Chem 140

The University of Colorado will be hosting the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers (CIW) on their 2008 "Chipocrisy Tour." For their stop in Boulder,
CIW representatives will be speaking to students and community members
about the exploitation they have experienced in Florida's agriculture
fields and why Chipotle Mexican Grill is not living up to their claim of
"Food with Integrity."

The CIW is a grassroots organization of mostly Latin@, Haitian, and Mayan
Indian farmworkers based out of Immokalee, Florida, a center for US
agriculture. In the tomato fields, which supply a large portion of the
US's tomatoes, migrant farmworkers earn a piece rate of 45 cents for every
32lb bucket of tomatoes picked. This piece rate has not changed since
1970's and holds farmworkers in unjustifiable poverty. Worst case
scenarios are cases of modern day slavery where workers are forced to work
for no pay against their will.

The CIW has made enormous strides in reclaiming the dignity of farmwork by
creating agreements with major fast food chains to pay 1 cent more per
pound of tomatoes that will go directly to the farmworker.

While Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald's, and Burger have all signed on,
Chipotle refuses. The company's unwillingness to take responsibilty for
the conditions of the people who harvest their tomatoes while mass
marketing themselves as "Food with Integrity" as exposed an enormous
"Chipocrisy."

The 2008 tour also includes several exciting events in Denver that are
open to anyone and everyone:

Sunday, October 5th:
1pm - Picket at the first ever Chipotle restaurant, 1644 Evans Ave (west
of University Blv, near DU)

Monday, October 6th:
All Day - Plantón (encampment) outside Chipotle HQ, 1543 Wazee
St. in downtown Denver, an all-day protest "waiting" for Chipotle to do
the right thing. Starts first thing in the morning. Come for all or part.
12noon - Delivery of 85,000 signatures from consumer petition against
sweatshops and modern-day slavery in the fields - Chipotle HQ
6:30pm - Vigil outside Chipotle HQ.

Tuesday, October 7th:
Morning til Mid-Day - Plantón outside Chipotle HQ continues. Come for all
or part.

More info at CIW-Online.Org and SFAlliance.org

RE-PRINT: MINI TOUR 2008

2008 "Chipocrisy Tour" ready to roll!... CIW members and allies prepare to head west, call on Chipotle to live out the true meaning of its marketing slogan, "Food with Integrity"!

9/23/08: In the grand tradition of CIW "mini-tours" since 2001 (be sure to scroll to the end of this update for more on that tradition), the CIW is announcing the 2008 "Chipocrisy Tour," set to begin at the end of this month in Austin, Texas, and wrap up at Chipotle Mexican Grill's corporate headquarters in Denver, Colorado in early October.

The 2008 Tour will make its way through some of the most active and committed Fair Food communities in the country today. Beginning in Austin, the Tour crew will join with members of Fair Food Austin to celebrate the Whole Foods agreement with the community that helped make that ground-breaking accord possible. The Tour will then wind its way north through towns like Lawrence, Kansas, home of the incomparable Lawrence Fair Food, to Denver, where the fine folks of Denver Fair Food will lead the way. Finally, the crew will head home again to Immokalee, wrapping up nearly two weeks of of intensive education and action around the true meaning of the term "sustainable agriculture."

OLMECA

Olmeca has supported the CIW in their struggle & has always attended the events to inspire all of us with his music/lyrics ....as an artist he is an organizer and revolutionary, he helps along the way with his style of music to inspire us through his own trials and tribulations, we all need to be kept informed and to organize in a peaceful, non-violent way....this is a good path and an excellent example that the CIW/SFA have a tradition of doing.

Currently Olmeca is attending the 2008 Student Farmworker Alliance Encuentro in Immokalee, Florida. He will be in Immokalee, Florida through the 09/21/08.

Upcoming Shows

Sep 18 2008 8:00P
Student Farmworker Alliance Youth Encuentro Immokalee, Florida
Sep 19 2008 8:00P
Student Farmworker Alliance Youth Encuentro Immokalee, Florida
Sep 20 2008 12:00P
Student Farmworker Alliance Youth Encuentro Immokalee, Florida
Sep 21 2008 8:00P
Sweat Records Miami, Florida

CHICAGO....DONT FORGET OLMECA IS COMING TO THE U OF I ON 09/24

SAVE THE DATE & TIME!

Sep 24 2008 8:00P
U of Illinois, Chicago Chicago, Illinois

WORK TOGETHER & IMPROVE WAGES

Whole Foods, CIW agree to "work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers"!...

Update #1: What they are saying about the Whole Foods agreement: The CIW's latest agreement has provoked a good deal of commentary around the country, from Congress to the Presbyterian Church. Here's a sampling of the sentiment:

Eric Schlosser, author Fast-Food Nation: "Sustainable agriculture is impossible without justice for farmworkers. Whole Foods deserves great credit for recognizing this fact."

For more from Eric on the question of sustainable and fair food, click here for a great short video interview shot for the environmental blog grist.com during last week's Slow Food Nation gathering in San Francisco.

re-print from CIW

Mommy Amronh's Political Views: MySpace.com

Whole Foods signs deal to pay up for Florida tomatoes
Natural foods giant agrees to penny-per-pound raise for farmworkers
Posted by Tom Philpott at 12:41 PM on 10 Sep 2008
Read more about: food | agriculture | business | environmental justice
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I reported a few days ago that a deal was imminent; now it's official: Whole Foods has signed an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay an extra penny-per-pound for Florida tomatoes. The raise will go directly into the pockets of some of the lowest-paid workers in the United States.

In addition, the press release states, Whole Foods is working with the CIW to create a "domestic purchasing program to help guarantee transparent, ethical and responsible sourcing and production." The natural foods giant already has such a program in place for products it buys from developing countries.

The Coalition of Immokalee workers first approached Whole Foods on March 14, 2007, when it sent a letter to CEO John Mackey asking the company to agree to the penny-a-pound wage hike, as industrial-food giant Taco Bell already had. Here's an excerpt:


[T]he notion of sustainability in agriculture is widely understood to include three distinct but interdependent dimensions -- economic, environmental, and social. And among those three dimensions, social sustainability -- and specifically the treatment of farm labor -- has seen the least amount of progress in US agriculture. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that farmworker conditions in the fields today, and in particular the tomato fields of Florida where our members work, constitute nothing less than a human rights crisis.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) has described farmworkers as "a labor force in significant economic distress." Tomato pickers earn about 45 cents for every 32-lb bucket of tomatoes they pick, working from dusk to dawn without the right to overtime pay. The 45-cent piece rate hasn't changed in nearly 30 years. As a result, farmworker wages fall beneath the federal poverty level. The DOL reports that farmworkers earn an average of only $7,500-$10,000 per year. Of course, the vast majority of farmworkers receive absolutely no benefits -- no health insurance, no sick leave, no vacation pay -- and have no right to organize to address these conditions on their own.
Whole Foods is now the first grocery store to agree to the raise. May others follow suit.

HOPE..FOR MODERN DAY LABOR STANDARDS & CONDITIONS IN FLORIDA

Whole Foods, CIW agree to "work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers"!...

Gerardo Reyes of the CIW: “With this agreement, the Campaign for Fair Food has again broken new ground. This is not only our first agreement in the supermarket industry but, in working with Whole Foods Market, we have the opportunity to really raise the bar to establish and ensure modern day labor standards and conditions in Florida.”

Here's the press release in its entirety:

Whole Foods Market Signs Agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to Support “Penny-per-Pound” Tomato Program in Florida

Company Also Exploring Program to Help Guarantee Ethical Sourcing and Production in the U.S.

AUSTIN, TX (September 9, 2008) – Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the Florida-based farm worker organization spearheading the growing Campaign for Fair Food, announced today that the two will work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers.

According to an agreement signed this week, Whole Foods Market will support the CIW’s “penny-per-pound” approach for tomatoes purchased from Florida, with the goal of passing these additional funds on to the harvesters.

“With this agreement, the Campaign for Fair Food has again broken new ground,” said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “This is not only our first agreement in the supermarket industry but, in working with Whole Foods Market, we have the opportunity to really raise the bar to establish and ensure modern day labor standards and conditions in Florida.”

“We commend the CIW for their advocacy on behalf of these workers,” said Karen Christensen, Global Produce Coordinator for Whole Foods Market. “After carefully evaluating the situation in Florida, we felt that an agreement of this nature was in line with our core values and was in the best interest of the workers.”

Additionally, Whole Foods Market is exploring the creation of a domestic purchasing program to help guarantee transparent, ethical and responsible sourcing and production, using the company’s existing Whole Trade Guarantee program as a model. Whole Trade Guarantee, a third-party verified program, ensures that producers and laborers in developing countries get an equitable price for their goods in a safe and healthy working environment. The goal is to purchase Florida tomatoes from growers that will implement a similar program. “We are especially excited about working with the CIW to develop this domestic ‘Whole Trade-type’ program,” said Christensen

MODERN DAY SLAVERY BROTHERS GUILTY

The Coalition of Immokalee Farmworker's was instrumental in assisting victim's of the Modern Day Slavery Case. This goes to show that the CIW has and will continue to work towards helping those in need, and the thus the Honor of being presented the Anti-Slavery Award by Anti-Slavery International continues to resonate throughout the growing fields and country.

The CIW is a founding member of the national Freedom Network USA to Empower Victims of Slavery and Trafficking. As a regional coordinator for the Freedom Network Training Institute on Human Trafficking, we train state and federal law enforcement and social services personnel throughout the Southeastern US on how to recognize and assist enslaved people. The CIW's efforts have gained national recognition, including the National Organization for Women (NOW) 'Woman of Courage Award,' given to a CIW member in 2000. Most recently, the CIW was presented with the 2007 Anti-Slavery Award by Anti-Slavery International in London.

Reports on the CIW's efforts also appear in the following studies:

“Human Traffic, Human Rights: Redefining Victim Protection,” Anti-Slavery International/London, 2002

“Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States,” Free the Slaves and Human Rights Center, Berkeley, 2004

Brothers Plead Guilty to Enslaving Farmworkers in Florida, Co-Defendants Plead Guilty to Related Felonies


WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cesar Navarrete,
Geovanni Navarrete, Villhina Navarrete, Ismael Michael Navarrete and
Antonio Zuniga Vargas pleaded guilty to charges relating to a scheme to
enslave Mexican and Guatemalan nationals and compel their labor as
farmworkers, the Justice Department announced today.

All five defendants pleaded guilty to harboring undocumented foreign
nationals for private financial gain and identity theft. In addition, Cesar
and Geovanni Navarrete pleaded guilty to beating, threatening, restraining
and locking workers in trucks to force them to work for them as
agricultural laborers. Cesar Navarrete also pleaded guilty to re-entering
the U.S. after being convicted of a felony and deported, and Ismael
Navarrete also pleaded guilty to document fraud. Cesar and Geovanni
Navarrete face up to 35 and 25 years in prison, respectively. The other
defendants face a range of 10-25 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled
for various dates in September and December 2008.

The defendants were accused of paying the workers minimal wages,
driving them into debt, while simultaneously threatening physical harm if
the workers left their employment before their debts had been repaid to the
family.

Previously, co-defendant Jose Navarrete entered a guilty plea for
conspiracy to harbor and to harboring undocumented foreign nationals for
financial gain as well as possession of false documents, identity theft and
re-entry after being deported. Jose Navarrete faces up to 37 years in
prison.

"In this case, we are given yet another example of how human
trafficking of all kinds victimizes vulnerable human beings," said Grace
Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights
Division. "The Justice Department is committed to vigorously prosecuting
those who engage in this criminal conduct."

The prosecution of human trafficking offenses is a top priority of the
Justice Department. In the last seven fiscal years, the Civil Rights
Division, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, has increased by
nearly seven-fold the number of human trafficking cases filed in court as
compared to the previous seven fiscal years. In fiscal year 2007, the
Department obtained a record number of convictions in human trafficking
prosecutions.

This case was investigated by agents from the Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and investigators
from the Collier County Sheriffs Department.

Victim assistance was provided by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Susan French and Adriana Vieco of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy of the Middle District of Florida.



SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

SEN SANDERS ISSUES STATEMENT

Guilty!

On eve of trial, farm bosses plead guilty to enslaving Immokalee workers in tomato harvest...

UPDATE: US Sen. Bernie Sanders issues a statement on the convictions! Here's an excerpt:
"... I applaud U.S. Attorney Doug Malloy and his staff for successfully prosecuting this case. I also want to congratulate the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for their on-going efforts to protect some of the most exploited workers in our country...... As a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee I intend to introduce legislation in the very near future which will end a loophole in current law which enables growers to avoid taking responsibility for what happens on their fields when workers are being enslaved.”
September 3, 2008: Yesterday, at federal court in Ft. Myers, FL, farm bosses from Immokalee pleaded guilty to "numerous charges of enslaving Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants, brutalizing them and forcing them to work in farm fields." ("Five to plead guilty on charges of enslaving immigrant laborers," Ft. Myers News Press, 9/2/08).
According to the News-Press report:
"The 17-count indictment in the case -- one of the largest slavery prosecutions Southwest Florida has ever seen -- was released in January. It alleges that for two years, Cesar Navarrete and Geovanni Navarrete beat agricultural laborers, chained them up, locked them in boxes and trucks on the family property while keeping them in ever-increasing debt.
Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Molloy has called it "slavery, plain and simple."
Many will remember this latest slavery case -- one of the most extreme stories of exploitation to emerge from fields renowned for their brutality -- as the prosecution that began when workers escaped from a locked u-haul truck and made their way to an Immokalee police cruiser to denounce their employers... on the same day that a delegation comprised of representatives from the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, an industry-friendly "third-party" monitoring group by the name of Intertek, and Burger King were visiting Immokalee to declare Florida's fields free of slavery.
Here's an excerpt from our own coverage of that story when it broke:
"November 20th was a momentous day in Immokalee.
On November 20th, according to court documents filed last week, three tomato pickers made their way to the Collier County Sheriff’s office after having escaped two days earlier through the ventilation hatch of a box truck where they had been held against their will by their employer. The three men told police of an Immokalee-based tomato harvesting slavery ring in which workers “were beaten and forced to work exclusively for the Navarrete family,” according to an article entitled, “Family accused of enslaving workers at Immokalee camp” in the Naples Daily News (12/7/07).
On that same day, November 20th, Andre Raghu, global managing director with the supply chain monitoring group “Intertek,” told the readers of the Miami Herald that his company’s audits of Florida tomato operations “have found no slave labor.” Mr. Raghu was quoted in the Herald as part of a high-profile press junket organized by Burger King and their new partners in public relations, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE), to counter CIW claims of a human rights crisis in Florida’s tomato fields.
And so, on November 20th, while well-paid executives assured the world that all is well in the Florida’s fields, workers in Immokalee were recounting to Sheriff’s deputies how they had to break out of a locked U-Haul truck to escape from their employers."
The explosion of this case on the scene then helped put the lie to that effort to whitewash farm labor abuse. Its conclusion in guilty pleas yesterday should likewise leave the leaders of the Florida tomato industry with no more room for denial of the urgent need for reform.
We'll close with the words of the CIW's Gerardo Reyes, from a statement issued to the News-Press about the convictions:
"The facts that have been reported in this case are beyond outrageous -- workers being beaten, tied to posts, and chained and locked into trucks to prevent them from leaving their boss. How many more workers have to be held against their will before the food industry steps up to the plate and demands that this never -- ever -- occur again in the produce that ends up on America's tables?"
"What's most frustrating is that there is a solution. As US Senator Bernie Sanders said when he visited Immokale, 'Slavery is the extreme. The norm is a disaster.' If we can improve the norm -- guarantee fair wages and humane conditions for all Florida farmworkers -- then we can eliminate the extreme. And there are now several retail food industry leaders who have agreed to do their part to promote social responsibility in Florida agriculture. Yet the leaders of Florida's tomato industry -- who are holding their annual meeting this week at the Ritz Carlton in Naples -- continue to stand in the way of progress. The FTGE needs to start working with Yum Brands, McDonald's, Burger King, and the other major tomato buyers who want to put an end to exploitation in Florida's fields."