February 8, 2011
New York City makes itself heard in the ramp up to the Do the Right Thing Tour!
Northeast Encuentro ends with huge march and protest at NY Trader Joe's (right); Buses from NYC to Boston filling up fast for the 27th...
We've heard from Boston and Tampa about how they've been getting ready for the Do the Right Thing Tour. But we haven't heard from New York City -- until now!
The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps... Everything is bigger in New York City, and if last weekend is any indication, that goes for protests, too! While 130 Fair Food activists were gathering this past Sunday in Sarasota for a huge protest at a local Publix, over 150 marched in NYC -- thanks to the tireless efforts of the NY-based Community/Farmworker Alliance -- for a protest at Trader Joe's, the self-styled sustainable food leader that refuses to even meet with CIW members to discuss the Campaign for Fair Food.
The protest made front page news in the local daily, the Washington Square News ("Workers' alliances protest Trader Joe's labor policies," 2/7/11). Here's an excerpt:
Laborers, artists, students and activists protested in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers against the grocery chain's labor policies for farmworkers who pick the chain's tomatoes. The CIW, the Community Farmworker Alliance NYC and the Student/Farmworker Alliance rallied outside of the Trader Joe's Union Square location at noon before marching to the chain's Chelsea location. In conjunction with community organizations, farmworkers have pushed for grocery chains to adopt a fair food agreement that guarantees workers' rights and a fair wage for field workers. Although major food corporations Whole Foods, Subway and McDonald's have already signed the agreement, Trader Joe's has not responded to the CIW's requests in two years..." read more (photo, and photo at top of post, by Jordan Teicher and Munsath Ashraf, respectively, for Washington Square News) |
"The lines outside Trader Joe's yesterday weren't for the cheap groceries.The same article quoted Mae Singerman, one of those who marched on Trader Joes this past weekend, as saying, "I have been so inspired by the CIW... There's something amazing about how they organize."
Well, right back at you, Mae, because the protest was hardly the only thing NY Fair Food activists did this past weekend. Rather, the march on Trader Joes was just the grand finale of the three-day Northeast Encuentro (right), a get together of dozens of CIW allies from across the Northeast to strategize and make plans for mobilizing turnout for the big march on Stop & Shop later this month.
And as a result of all that great work, buses from NYC to Boston for the 27th are filling up fast, with three buses already booked, and more to come! If you live in the New York City area and would like to get on the bus to Boston to join workers from Immokalee to demand Fair Food from New England's biggest grocer, Stop & Shop, you can contact Sarah Koshar at CFAoutreach@gmail.com for more information today!
In the meantime, have a look at a great photo album from the weekend here. Enjoy, and see you in Boston!
