Check out the photo report here, as bikers head into final leg of tour, arrival at Publix HQ day after Labor Day…
The Pilgrimage to Publix continues its 200-mile trek from Immokalee to Publix corporate headquarters in Lakeland, Florida, this holiday weekend, including a heroes’ welcome in Sarasota, where the peleton swelled to several dozen bikers and a spirited protest took over the sidewalk outside a popular Publix store!
Check out the photo report from Sarasota here.
And click on the links below for earlier reports from the road and a full schedule of the tour:
Before you go, here are a couple of solid media reports on the tour to enjoy as you celebrate the vast and woefully undervalued contribution of all American workers to our country this weekend:
- “The Rev. Brant Copeland: A mere penny a pound can ensure a fair wage,” op/ed Tallahassee Democrat, 8/30/11 (posted earlier, but article was behind a pay wall)
“… My question is, ‘Why fair trade coffee, but not fair trade food?’
When I wrote Mr. Crenshaw about this, he responded by saying that Publix pays the ‘fair market price’ for tomatoes. That’s what buyers used to say about coffee, too. The fact is, there are two market prices: the penny-per-pound extra to raise wages or the ‘fair market price’ that keeps harvesters in poverty. I’m no economist, but I think Mr. Crenshaw’s response is less than forthright.
As Labor Day approaches, several delegates from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers will be traveling more than 200 miles by bicycle to Publix corporate headquarters in Lakeland to extend a personal invitation to Mr. Crenshaw to visit Immokalee so that he can learn firsthand about the Campaign for Fair Food.
I’m praying Mr. Crenshaw will accept the invitation. As Publix founder George Jenkins famously advised, ‘Don’t let making a profit get in the way of doing the right thing.'” read more
- “Immokalee workers cross miles to protest low wages in tomato picking,” Free Speech Radio News, 9/2/11 (a great, two-minute audio piece that brings the voices of the bikers and their allies directly into your home!)
Check back again soon, as the bikers continue to their post-Labor Day rendezvous with Publix this Tuesday!