Letter to the Coalition from Former President Jimmy Carter

January 16, 1998

To Pedro Lopez

I have been following the continued hunger strike of farm workers in Immokalee. The issue of fair compensation for farm workers is highly complex. Recent letters made public between the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and Governor Lawton Chiles, and statements made by The Coalition of Immokalee Workers on behalf of the hunger strikers demonstrate a clear difference of views on the appropriate means for communication between workers and growers and on the basis for wage calculations.

I am concerned that the relevant facts and the appropriate compensation cannot be agreed unless there are direct talks between employers and workers on this issue. Open discussions between employers and employees' representatives are a fundamental tenet of acceptable labor relations, in all industries. I encourage both sides to act quickly on Governor Chiles' call to begin a meaningful dialogue, both in the interests of preventing any further harm to the hunger strikers and of productive relations between growers and pickers. While The Carter Center does not provide the kind of mediation services appropriate to this situation, there are a number of possible mediating bodies to whom we could refer you, if requested by all parties.

Sincerely, Jimmy Carter