PRESS RELEASE

for immediate release

date: 2/17 /00

re: Farmworker March from Ft. Myers to Orlando

contact: Lucas Benitez, Romeo Ramirez, Coalition of Immokalee Workers (941) 657-8311

COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS ANNOUNCES "MARCH FOR DIGNITY, DIALOGUE, AND A FAIR WAGE FOR FLORIDA FARMWORKERS"

Farmworkers and supporters to walk 230 miles from Ft. Myers to Orlando in "People-to-People Pilgrimage for Justice" through South and Central Florida Immokalee, FL

On Saturday, February 19, farmworkers and their supporters from across the state will gather in Ft. Myers to begin a 230-mile "people-to-people pilgrimage for justice." Marchers will gather at St. Francis Xavier Church at 2157 Cleveland Avenue at 8:00 am for a send-off rally. From there, marchers will head north on Rt. 41 to Tampa and across to Orlando on Rt. 92. The march will end on Saturday, March 4, with a rally at the Orlando offices of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, the state-wide lobbying arm of Florida's agricultural industry.

The public is invited to join the marchers at both the opening and closing rallies, as well as at any point along the route.

"We have decided to undertake this march because we feel that, ultimately, our fight for dignity, dialogue, and a fair wage in the fields will only be won when the regular, everyday citizens of Florida join us in calling for simple economic justice for our state's hardest workers," said Lucas Benitez of the Coalition.

"Working conditions in Florida's fields have been a shame for our state for long enough" continued Benitez, "It's time we joined as one -- farmworkers and everyday Floridians -- to help nudge the agricultural industry toward a more modern, more humane relationship with its workers. By walking through the small towns and cities of the state, we can talk to tens of thousands of people directly about our situation in the fields. Together, we can finally help move agriculture forward toward a fairer and more productive future."

Churches, community organizations, schools, and unions along the route have pitched in to provide marchers with shelter, food, water, and moral support. From striking juice plant workers, to Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, to a 98-year old woman from a six-generation Florida family in Deland, people across the state have joined together to support the workers and accompany them along their way.

"By virtue of the hard work we do, we have earned the right to talk to our employers about our wages and other working conditions," said Romeo Ramirez of the Coalition. "Look at any community where agriculture is an important employer in this state, and you will see poverty, you will see workers living in run-down, overpriced housing, and you will see health conditions that are not found among any other group of workers. Why? Because we continue to earn about $8,500 per year, with absolutely no benefits -- no overtime pay for overtime worked, no sick leave, no health insurance, no holiday leave, no paid vacation, no pension - nothing. Farm work is hard work, and we deserve more respect and better pay for the hard work we do. That's why we are marching," continued Ramirez.

---

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a community-based organization composed mainly of farmworkers from the Southwest Florida area. Two seasons ago, the CIW launched its "Campaign for Dialogue and a Living Wage". Through the CIW campaign, over two thousand tomato pickers in Immokalee have petitioned Florida tomato industry leaders for constructive talks between community representatives and representatives of the industry on the issue of the tomato picking piece rate, which has remained effectively stagnant (at 40-45 cents per 32-lb bucket) for over twenty years.

Despite some success -- including a productive dialogue with Gargiulo company executives that resulted in an historic raise and the unprecedented intervention last season of Governor Jeb Bush resulting in raises from yet two more major tomato growers -- change has come slowly. Beyond Gargiulo, the remaining tomato growing corporations stubbornly refuse to meet with worker community representatives, and the raises that have been secured are minimal. While most companies now pay between 45 and 50 cents per bucket, the piece rate today would actually have to be 75 cents just to keep pace with inflation since 1978.

The CIW's campaign, combining community action with strong public support, has generated tremendous interest from all sectors of Florida's broader community. Religious and political leaders, community and labor organizations, celebrities and everyday people from across the state and throughout the US have supported the Immokalee workers' simple call for justice. The upcoming march -- the "March for Dignity, Dialogue, and a Fair Wage for Florida's Farmworkers" -- is just the next step in the long road to winning justice for farmworkers in Immokalee, and the CIW hopes to count on your support as they continue to make that road by walking it.