Florida tomato growers and farm workers reach agreement on principles

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE) have reached an agreement that will extend the coalition’s Fair Food principles to over 90% of the Florida tomato industry. The principles include a strict code of conduct, a cooperative complaint resolution system, a participatory health and safety program and a worker-to-worker education process.
The agreement will unfold in a two-step process. For the 2010-2011 season participating exchange members will pass through a penny-per-pound from participating purchasers and cooperate with a financial audit of the penny-per-pound funds. The members have also adopted the Fair Food Code of Conduct, which will be fully implemented by the beginning of the 2011-2012 season.
Also during the current season, exchange member growers Six L's and Pacific Tomato Growers, who independently signed agreements with the worker coalition earlier this season, will join with the coalition in a Working Group that is responsible for developing and evaluating the protocols and systems necessary to implement the Fair Food Code of Conduct. The Working Group will develop systems that can be applied on the industry level. During this first season, the code will be fully in effect, and monitored, only on farms that are part of the Working Group.
In a second step, beginning with the 2011-2012 season, the protocols and systems developed and tested during the first season by the Working Group will be shared with the other member farms. Also, the Code of Conduct will become fully effective on all participating farms.

Pictured: An agreement between the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange will extend the coalition’s Fair Food principles to over 90% of the Florida tomato industry.
Photo courtesy of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers