Farm workers picking tomatoes for Trader Joe's chain of supermarkets earn 40-50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they harvest—wages that have not risen since 1978. Grinding poverty leaves farm workers vulnerable to further exploitation from employers: since 1997, 1000 farm workers were held in modern day slavery-like conditions in the Florida fields where they work.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farm worker-led organization based in Immokalee, Florida has called for actions targeting Trader Joe's supermarkets. Workers demand that Trader Joe's sign onto an agreement (as many large corporations like Whole Foods and Subway already have) to support more humane standards in the fields, to pay a premium price for fairly produced tomatoes, and to buy only from growers who meet these higher standards.
WHO: Community Farm Worker Alliance
WHAT: Protest outside of Trader Joe’s store demanding that Trader Joe’s:
- Sign on to an agreement to support more humane standards in the field
- To pay a premium price for fairly produced tomatoes
- To buy only from growers who meet these higher standards
WHEN: Thursday August 19, 2010 at 6:00 PM
WHERE: Outside Trader Joe’s Store in Chelsea at W 21st Street and 6th Ave
**This post was submitted by the UFCW Local 1500
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment