Farmworker Advocacy Network

By Margaret Wurth at Human Rights Watch

By Margaret Wurth at Human Rights Watc

By Nadeen Bir at Student Action with Farmworkers

Two weeks ago, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers kicked off their Publix Truth tour in NC to share with their allies how Publix has refused to participate in the Fair Food Program. On Monday, September 23^rd, the Farmworker Advocacy Network, Student Action with Farmworkers, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, Minnow Media, the NC Council of Churches, Witness for Peace, and the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship came together to welcome our friends from Immokalee to share their fight for a fair food system.

From L to R: Oscar Otzoy, Elena Stein, and Emilio Faustino Galindo, Coalition of Immokalee Workers; Emily Zucchino, Witness for Peace; Chris Liu-Beers, NC Council of Churches; Dave Austin, Farm Labor Organizing Committee; Donna Campbell, Minnow Media Eno River UU Fellowship. Photo by Michael Durbin.We started the night with a presentation from the CIW's Don Emilio and Oscar sharing the amazing work that they are doing teaching other farmworkers about their rights on the job. When companies join the Fair Food campaign, workers get paid a penny more per pound for the tomatoes they pick, they get to report labor abuses without fear of losing their job, and women have more protections against sexual harassment in the workplace, among other benefits. There are still companies who have not come to the negotiations table and right now the CIW is targeting Wendy’s and Publix, who have plans to expand in North Carolina.

After the talk and dinner, we screened Harvest of Dignity, a film documenting the need in NC for safe places to live, safe places to work, and stronger enforcement of the law for farmworkers. The audience got a peek into the lives of North Carolina men, women, and children who work in the fields and also heard from advocates about how conditions haven’t really changed in the last 60 years. The film was followed with a panel discussion that highlighted the work of several event sponsors and the audience was encouraged to sign up on listserves, sign petitions, and to support our various campaigns.

Find out more about how to get involved with the Harvest of Dignity campaign and the CIW Publix Truth Tour.