You load sixteen tons, whadaya get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Peter don't you call me ‘cause I can't go!
I owe my soul to the company store.
16 Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1955
Most people would assume that slavery was abolished during the Civil War. People believe that with the 13th Amendment, signed into action in January of 1865, the trials of slavery came to an end.
That’s not entirely true.
As recently as January 17th, 2008, slavery has been reported in Florida. Farmworkers, working as tomato pickers in Immokalee, Florida, were held in debt, beaten, and locked inside U-Haul trucks by their employers. The crime the workers committed? Being unwilling to work or trying to leave their employer.
Since slavery still exists, freedom fighters still exist, too. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a community-based worker organization that fights for fairer wages for farmworkers. They also advocate for workers, exposing cases of abuse and slavery.
CIW’s latest battle is against Burger King, the only major fast food chain headquartered in Florida. The conflict is not one of slavery. It comes over the price of tomatoes: CIW wants a penny more per pound, and the King won’t pay. Other fast food chains, like Yum! Brands, owner of Taco Bell and KFC, have met agreements with CIW. McDonalds has also come to the table, putting the pressure on Burger King to follow suit. However, McDonalds has not yet implemented their plan.
And Burger King argues that they don’t have a way to get increased wages to the workers. Burger King executive Steve Grover told The Miami Herald in a February 28th article that BK buys from repackers, not growers. Thus, the penny raise wouldn’t make it into the hands of the farmworkers in the fields. The CIW has not given up, but due to the conflict, Burger King has considered buying outside of Florida.
And the battlefield seems to be getting bigger. Not only are wages an issue, the location and stability of the entire tomato farming industry in Florida is at risk. Some growers are moving operations or struggling to stay afloat due to increasing competition and lower prices from Mexico. Since 1991-1992, the price of tomatoes has dropped about 5 cents per pound, or about 14% percent (The Miami Herald, Feb. 28).
The problems started with 1994’s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which allows American companies to buy cheaper produce from Mexico. While Mexican tomato imports have increased 2.4 times since 1990, land used for growing tomatoes has decreased 4.3 times in Miami-Dade during the same period. This has some growers considering Mexico as a base of operations.
The real question then becomes how much we are willing to pay for tomatoes as consumers. With the apparent struggles of the farmers and of the industry as a whole, the price of tomatoes hasn’t dropped for consumers, and remains around $2 a pound at retail. So would you be willing to pay even more for your Whopper? What about your Big Mac? Or your Crunch Wrap Supreme? If we paid more, would it make a difference?
Despite the apparent complications, the fight for farmworkers rights has some famous fans who are aiding the effort. Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine recently wrote a new song about CIW’s triumph in getting McDonalds to agree to raising the wages of tomato farmers. Florida’s own Against Me! has joined the good fight as well, donating $18,000 to Harvest of Hope in support of migrant farmworkers.
Add to this list one more, less famous person: Cruz Salucio is a member of CIW, and a farmworker himself. On Tuesday, March 4, he visited the University of Miami to tell members of the student group S.T.A.N.D. (Students Toward a New Democracy) about his experience and about his efforts with CIW.
I asked Cruz if Burger King was unwilling to pay more, in his opinion, because they wouldn’t be able to get the money to growers. I also mentioned that produce might be cheaper south of the border. Cruz told me he believed that Burger King was just looking to run away from its problems. The CIW would advocate for workers rights, in Florida and beyond.
Check out my video to see what else he had to say.
As note, the video references a case of slavery in Palatka, Florida. Click here to read more on that.
As a closing thought, I find it ironic that CIW is advocating a penny per pound raise for tomato farmers while fighting modern day slavery. It was Abraham Lincoln, after all, who ended slavery the first time.