In wake of Compass/East Coast announcement, heat turns up on Publix!

Editorial: “Publix should join agreement”

A straight talking editorial in the Ft. Myers News-Press pivoted quickly from last week’s announcement of the Compass/East Coast agreement to Publix and its refusal to support the growing movement for social responsibility in the Florida tomato industry. Here it is in its entirety (“Publix should join agreement”):

 

With their most important success yet in the fight for better treatment of farmworkers, advocates for Florida’s underpaid tomato pickers have created a powerful tide of reform.

Publix supermarkets would be wise to swim with this tide.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has concluded a three-way agreement with East Coast Growers and Compass, the world’s largest food-service company, to improve Florida tomato pickers’ pay and working conditions.

Compass joined the three biggest fast-food companies – Yum Brands, McDonald’s and Burger King – and Whole Foods grocery chain, in an agreement to see that pickers get a penny more per pound for the tomatoes they harvest.

It’s estimated that could boost workers’ annual pay from about $10,000 to between $16,000 and $17,000 – still little enough for people who work hard to put food on America’s tables.

Money pledged by earlier signatories had not been reaching workers because of the refusal of the powerful Florida Tomato Growers Exchange to pass it on. But East Coast Growers has dropped out of the exchange in order to pay the difference. That signals an even bigger change than signing up another retailer.

The wall of resistance is breaking down.

That suggests that it makes even more sense now for Publix to join the agreement.

It’s the right thing to do, and it’s good public relations for a company that cares a lot about its image.

Congratulations to the coalition for another victory in its remarkable fight on behalf of people with few friends in high places.

And congratulations to Compass and East Coast Growers for joining the effort to better the lives of the 30,000 migrant farmworkers in Florida.

Also, in an article from 9/25/09 (“Workers plan informational blitz at Publix”), the News-Press looks more closely at another disturbing aspect of Publix tomato purchasing policies: The company’s continuing purchases from Florida growers involved in the latest slavery prosecution, despite the fact that companies like Whole Foods cut off purchases from those same growers when news emerged that the Navarrete slave crews were employed on their fields. Here’s an excerpt:

“Publix wants consumers to think that shopping in their stores is a pleasure,” Reyes said. “But if every time people see the green Publix sign they think of tomatoes picked by slaves and are reminded that Publix is refusing to buy tomatoes through a program that pays farmworkers a better wage and protects their labor rights, like Whole Foods does, well, that’s not a pleasure — that’s a shame.” read more here