Blog
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Fair Food Festival
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RALLY TO KEEP WAL-MART OUT OF NYC FEB 3 @ 11 AM
Join community members and small business owners at a rally prior to the New York City Council Hearing on Wal-Mart.
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Food Faith and Health Disparities Summit
Come and join UFCW Local 1500 at the Food Faith and Health Disparities Summit this Friday October 29 from 7:00-8:30 PM and Saturday October 30 from 9:00-6:30 PM. Learn how you can make a difference for yourself, your familes and in your communities; become part of the solution for building a healthier New York. Come and hear from people who are working on the issues throughout NYC and what they are doing to solve them.
REGISTER ONLINE AT http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=2412
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MORE great news out of Immokalee!
Six L's -- Florida's largest tomato grower -- joins forces with CIW for Fair Food!
With the the 2010 tomato season just around the corner, momentum for the Campaign for Fair Food and its industry-changing standards for real social accountability just keeps growing!
On October 21, 2010, the CIW and Immokalee-based Six L's made it official: Florida's largest tomato grower is joining the Fair Food program.
Six L's has agreed to pass on the penny-per-pound and to adopt the Code of Conduct at the heart of the campaign, including a cooperative complaint resolution system, a participatory health and safety program, and a worker-to-worker education process aimed at insuring that farmworkers themselves are active participants in the social responsibility efforts.
For more information visit CIW-online.org -
Pacific Tomato Growers, Coalition of Immokalee Workers Sign Landmark Agreement for Social Responsibility in Florida Tomato Fields
Farmworker Organization, Tomato Industry Leader Join Forces to Root out Abuses, Write "New Chapter in Florida Agricultural History"
IMMOKALEE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Tomato Growers, one of the country's oldest and largest tomato producers, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the Florida-based farmworker organization spearheading the Campaign for Fair Food, have signed an innovative agreement that sets new standards for social responsibility and accountability in Florida's tomato industry.
The agreement represents a significant step forward in CIW's decade-long campaign for labor reforms in Florida's tomato industry. Not only is it the first formal agreement between CIW and a major tomato grower, but the new accord establishes several practical systems designed to implement cooperatively the key principles of the Code of Conduct at the heart of the Campaign for Fair Food. Those principles include a joint -- and, when need be, external -- complaint resolution system, a participatory health and safety program, and a worker-to-worker education process aimed at insuring that farmworkers themselves are active participants in the social responsibility efforts.
The agreement also provides for third-party auditing of both the systems needed to implement the Code and payment of the "penny-per-pound," the price premium designed to raise farmworker wages that is part of CIW's agreements with nine major retail food companies, including sector leaders McDonald's, Whole Foods, and Compass Group.
“Pacific Tomato Growers (PTG) believes that it is time to speak out publicly about working conditions in agriculture. We along with many other responsible agricultural firms work daily to provide safe and fair working conditions, yet continued abuses within the industry demand that we speak out,” said Jon Esformes, Operating Partner, on behalf of the Board of Directors, PTG, Palmetto, FL.
“Our two families, as owners of PTG, believe now is the time to ask other similarly responsible agricultural companies to join in the effort to bring positive change to our industry for the benefit of farm employees. It is an absolute that farmworkers must have the same protections as people working in the white collar world,” explained Esformes.
"This breakthrough is a testament to the leadership at Pacific Tomato Growers, who truly came to the talks that led to today's announcement with an open heart, " said Lucas Benitez of CIW. "Without that spirit of partnership, it wouldn't have been possible to even talk about the kind of changes contemplated in this agreement, much less hammer out the concrete systems necessary to make those changes real and sustainable."
"As we turn the page on this new chapter in Florida agricultural history, however, I do want to make one thing crystal clear," Benitez added. "We are not today claiming that we have achieved the changes sought by the Campaign for Fair Food. Rather, we are announcing that we have forged a plan of action that gives us a realistic chance to bring about those changes. This plan is designed precisely to address those unsustainable workplace conditions that have plagued Florida agriculture for so long, so that we can eliminate them and build a stronger foundation for the industry in the future. In other words, today, Pacific and CIW are embarking together on a road toward real social responsibility. If that road leads us where we think it will, it will be a model for generations of farmworkers -- and farmers -- to come."
About Pacific Tomato Growers: Pacific Tomato Growers is a fourth generation, family-owned, national grower-packer shipper of fresh fruits and vegetables.
About the Coalition of Immokalee Workers: CIW (www.ciw-online.org) is a community-based farmworker organization headquartered in Immokalee, Florida, with over 4,000 members. CIW seeks modern working conditions for farmworkers and promotes their fair treatment in accordance with national and international human rights standards. CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food has won unprecedented support for fundamental farm labor reforms from retail food industry leaders, with the goal of enlisting the market power of those companies to bring about more humane labor standards from their Florida tomato suppliers.
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Food Faith and Health disparities Summit
Join UFCW local 1500 in attending the Food Faith and Health Diparities Summit. Learn how you can make a difference in your community and be part of the solution.
WHO: Labor, Faith, Enviromental and Hunger groups
WHAT: Food Faith and Health Disparities Summit
WHERE: The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Dr
NY, NY 10027
WHEN: Friday October 29, 2010 7:00- 8:30 PM
Saturday October 30, 2010 8:30 AM- 7:00 PM -
Protest at Trader Joe's in Chelsea
Join UFCW Local 1500 in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ at a Protest in front of Trader Joe’s.
Farm workers picking tomatoes for Trader Joe's chain of supermarkets earn 40-50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they harvest—wages that have not risen since 1978. Grinding poverty leaves farm workers vulnerable to further exploitation from employers: since 1997, 1000 farm workers were held in modern day slavery-like conditions in the Florida fields where they work.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farm worker-led organization based in Immokalee, Florida has called for actions targeting Trader Joe's supermarkets. Workers demand that Trader Joe's sign onto an agreement (as many large corporations like Whole Foods and Subway already have) to support more humane standards in the fields, to pay a premium price for fairly produced tomatoes, and to buy only from growers who meet these higher standards.WHO: Community Farm Worker Alliance
WHAT: Protest outside of Trader Joe’s store
demanding that Trader Joe’s:-
- Sign on to an agreement to support more humane standards in the fields
- To pay a premium price for fairly produced tomatoes
- To buy only from growers who meet these higher standards
WHEN: August 19, 2010 at 6:00 PM
WHERE: Outside Trader Joe’s Store in Chelsea at
W 21st Street and 6th AveDon’t live in New York? Contact us if you'd like to organize a campaign in your area to help farmworkers! farmworkersolidarity@gmail.com • http://farmworkersolidarity.blogspot.com/
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Modern Day Slavery Museum Northeast Tour
Join UFCW Local 1500 in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Modern Day Slavery Museum Northeast Tour
The Modern Day Slavery Museum is replica of a produce truck in which farm workers were locked and chained by their employers. The truck also reflects and documents the history of slavery in Florida agriculture.
Please come out and support this important and inspirational work.
- Monday August 2, 10 AM- 9 PM Cathedral of St. John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Ave
- Tuesday August 3rd, 10 AM- 9 PM Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
- Wednesday August, 10 AM- 9 PM Middle Collegiate Church 50 E 7th Street
For more information, visit http://www.ciw-online.org/museum/
RELATED LINKS
http://www.ciw-online.org/museum/ -
ROC NY Gender Discrimination Report
Report Further Reveals Systemic Gender Discrimination
As Wal-Mart faces the largest class-action sex discrimination case in U.S. history, a report by the New York City Restaurant Opportunity Center reveals pervasive gender discrimination in the New York City restaurant industry. A crowed of ROC NY members, elected officials, community members and labor representatives packed the La Palapa restaurant for the release of “Waiting on Equality: The Role and Impact of Gender in the New York City Restaurant Industry.” Just as the Wal-Mart class-action suit went from six employees to over one million, the shared experiences of restaurant workers collectively reveals institutional and systematic discrimination. “I did not realize there were so many women having similar experiences,” said Chantel George, member of the ROC NY.
“Although women account for 38.1% of the industry’s workforce, they are largely under represented in the highest paid positions,” according the report. ROC NY documented a “gender tax” in which women make 21.8% less than men in the same positions and with similar skill sets. Further inequality in the industry occurs based on position and type of establishment. While women are under represented in the industry and excluded from some positions, women of color are overly represented in the fast food industry. Pervasive instances of sexual harassment were another major finding of the report. “The thing I liked about it was that it was very social, because of the social aspect of the job there is a blurred line in terms of appropriate behavior,” said Michelle Dent ROC NY member who started working in the restaurant industry when she was 14 years old.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers experience similar systematic discrimination as women workers. Derek Williams joined ROC NY after the release of “Beyond the Kitchen Door,” ROC’s report on racial discrimination. He became part of the women’s committee and a gay and lesbian focus group. “Sexual harassment is very prevalent, there are no guidelines, people think they can automatically over step their boundaries,” said Williams. “To change discrimination against women you have to change the thinking of men,” Williams challenged men “to step up your game, to be more open minded to women’s issues.”
“The good news is that we have options,” Dent urged other restaurant workers to “have the strength to tell someone what you are experiencing.” If you are experiencing discrimination you can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Spencer Lewis, Director of the New York District EEOC explained that an individual can file a complaint and they also have the power to conduct an investigation without a charge by an individual. Organizations like ROC NY can help workers who are experiencing discrimination file a complaint. Rehka Eanni Rodriguez, Co-director ROC NY emphasized that the best way to improve conditions is to unite workers together to demand justice. “the power is with you,” she imparted.
“Waiting on Equality: The Role and Impact of Gender in the New York City Restaurant Industry,” provides employers and policy makers with recommendations to prevent discrimination in the restaurant industry. ROC NY works with high road employers like La Palapa who hosted the release. “Today what we try to provide is an open door policy…Respect peoples potential, hire from within, promote and mentor,” said Barbara Sibley, co-owner La Palapa. ROC NY urges restaurants to communicate and adopt clear policies, pay a living wage and provide benefits to employees as a means to create a work environment that is less conducive to for discrimination. The report recommends that policy makers enact legislation that would incetivize or mandate on going sexual harassment trainings, support job training programs, publicly support model employers, collective organizing and to initiate or further study to true cost of discrimination. Rosemonde Pierre-Louis Manhattan Deputy Borough President applauded the report, stating that, “what is most striking about this report is that what is described in this report can be applied to many industries.” The class action sexual discrimination case agianst Wal-Mart is just one example, hopefully the release of this report will lead to more workers demanding freedom from gender and racial discrimination in their work places.
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Building Blocks Project Newsletter: Volume 12
In this issue:
Two Bronx Stores to Receive FRESH Incentives: NYC's first two retail stores to receive FRESH incentives, nearly $12 Million...
Obama's $400 Million Push for a Healthier America: 400 Million reasons for a Healthier America & Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign!
Plan for a Smaller Food Print: Overwhelmed with all the problems in our food system?
Creating an Economy of Innovation: New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been busy bringing programs and people together to create a job recovery plan for New York City, creating an economy of innovation...
Events: Trader Joe's Rally, South Bronx Fresh Food Retail Attraction Seminar, Left Forum Conference March 19th-21st Pace University NYC
Two Bronx Stores Receive FRESH IncentivesA Foodtown and a Western Beef, both located in the Bronx, are the first two companies to apply and receive FRESH incentivesThe New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) has approved the first two tax incentive packages that will aid the development of two new supermarkets in the Bronx. This marks the first two supermarkets to receive incentives from the recently passed FRESH (Food Retail Expansion to Support Health) program. Let’s skip the politics in this one and get down to the core issues: Jobs and Access to Healthy Food, two of the primary reasons the FRESH program was created.
Though FRESH is still in its infancy stage, two ambitious companies in the Bronx are not missing out on what it has to offer. Western Beef, who operates non-union, and Foodtown, a union store. Foodtown will be receiving $3 million in real estate and tax benefits, while nearly $5.6 million in real estate and tax benefits were approved for Western Beef. You don’t need to be an economist to understand the advantages of utilizing the FRESH program. Foodtown is investing $3.7 million to build a new 11,000-square-foot supermarket in the Norwood section of the Bronx, to replace their old store which burned down in December 2009. Western Beef has proposed to invest $11.5 million to construct a new 35,000-square-foot supermarket with a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and an unbelievable 33,000-square-foot parking lot. The store will replace a smaller Western Beef nearby in the Tremont section of the Bronx.
What about jobs though? Both stores are vowing to retain the 90 existing jobs and creating 65 new ones. The FRESH program is enabling both companies to expand, improve their products, and operate more efficiently.What about food? Both stores will have full service fresh produce aisles available daily to customersFoodtown is planning to enter a long-term lease for the property, while Western Beef is beefing up their entire operation with the help of FRESH. Not only is Western Beef expanding their store by 10,000-square-feet, but the company is planning on opening new departments in the store such as a bakery, and full service deli. Western Beef is also going green; they are also pledging to install energy efficient equipment and HVAC systems, and to use energy efficient building materials to reduce energy consumption.
It seems to be a win-win for everyone; the community receives a store that is providing good jobs and fresh healthy food, while the company is receiving tax breaks and incentives. New York City Comptroller John C. Liu though, is not ready to give his stamp of approval without a rigorous investigation, an act he pledges to do every time the city hands out taxpayer money. “I take very seriously the job I’ve been given by the people of this city, and I intend to clearly examine our city’s finances, all the more critical in this tough economic period.” “In reviewing the past minutes and project financing for the items on today’s agenda, I can see significant potential for great community benefits and improvements. However, we are also committing a substantial amount of taxpayer resources to these projects – over $12 million today alone…It is therefore critical that my office gains a deeper understanding about the kinds of jobs taxpayers would be subsidizing, if costs per job are reasonable, whether all applicants have been treated fairly and whether all benefits being conferred are truly necessary. Until I have completed such an in-depth review of standards and processes for granting these kinds of benefits, I cannot cast a “Yes” vote.” We admire Comptroller Liu for expressing the desire to investigate and look over a project, which at its face value seems to be a no-brainer, too many times elected’s have approved finances at face-value, Comptroller Liu displayed much character with his “No.” vote.
To us, we’re really not sure why more supermarket operators aren’t utilizing the program. It’s an obvious win-win for the operator and the community. Maybe these first two are simply breaking the ice.
Obama’s $400 Million push for a Healthier America
The Obama Administration’s active push to encourage healthy lifestyles just took another step forward by releasing details on an over $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative
Last year Michelle Obama created a White House organic garden, encouraging Americans to become more self-sustainable by growing their own vegetables. This served as a catalyst for a national discussion on the health of children throughout America. Through the garden, she began a discussion with kids about proper nutrition and the role food plays in living a healthy life.
The Obama Administration’s active push to encourage healthy lifestyles just took another step forward by releasing details on an over $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative. The initiative aims at bringing grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities across America. Sound familiar? UFCW Local 1500’s Building Blocks campaign began this same initiative (on the local level) a little over two years ago right here in New York City. “The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake,” said Mrs. Obama. “This isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved overnight, but with everyone working together, it can be solved. So, let’s move.”
The $400 million initiative was created to promote a range of interventions that expand access to healthy & nutritious foods, including the development and equipping of grocery stores and retailers to sell healthy food throughout communities that lack options, these areas are known as “food deserts”. In order to help community activists and leaders identify food deserts in their area, the USDA launched a Food Environment Atlas online (www.ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/).
One of the primary reasons for the initiative are the plain facts, over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. One third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives; many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. A recent study put the health care costs of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion per year. A White House official also said “This epidemic also impacts the nation’s security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.”
Michelle Obama's “Let’s Move” campaign (http://letsmove.gov/) pledges ambitious goals to remove all 'Food Deserts' in America in seven years, and to fight childhood obesity at the same time. Let’s Move was designed to work with communities and identify the problems that are relative to them. A White House official said, “Let’s Move is comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented and will include strategies to address the various factors that lead to childhood obesity. It will foster collaboration among the leaders in government, medicine and science, business, education, athletics, community organizations and more. And it will take into account how life is really lived in communities across the country – encouraging, supporting and pursuing solutions that are tailored to children and families facing a wide range of challenges and life circumstances.” We’re ecstatic to hear about the Obama Administrations decision to tackle this growing problem occurring throughout the United States. For too long food has been overlooked in politics, which has led to where we’re at today, with national obesity rates tripling over the past thirty years, and more than half of adult New Yorkers being overweight or obese we’re overjoyed about the Federal Government addressing this problem.
Plan for a Smaller Food PrintThe connection between the food and climate change is that carbon emissions are produced at every step in the food system...Have you ever been overwhelmed with all of the problems with our current food system? Baffled by the thought of transforming our current food system into one that is sustainable? Does reversing climate change seem utterly insurmountable?
The “NYC Food and Climate Summit” organized by the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, Just Food and New York University, took us one step further in developing a plan to reduce carbon emissions by transforming our food system. The product of this summit is a report entitled, “Food NYC: A Blue Print for a Sustainable Food System.” According to the report our food system refers to "a continuum of activities, including farming, processing, storing, distributing, preparing and discarding food." The connection between food and climate change is that carbon emissions are produced at every step in the food system. Because our food system produces one third of green house emissions causing climate change, transforming our food system is a good place for us to start to develop a plan to reduce our food print. The ten-step plan outlined in the report recommends tangible policy changes that focus on building a vibrant local food economy.
Good jobs are a major part of the new food economy. Echoing the message of the Good Food Good Jobs Coalition, the report recommends that the City "require companies receiving City contracts or subsidies to pay a prevailing wage and provide health benefits for their workers.” The report also calls on the New York State Legislature to safeguard farmworkers' basic rights by passing the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.
Imagine going into a grocery store and picking up a product that has a calorie label, a carbon emissions label and a fair labor practices label. Better yet, imagine public policy that incorporates environmental concerns, fair labor practices and public health. Now that we have a plan all we need to do is make it a reality.
Download the full report at: http://www.mbpo.org
Creating an Economy of InnovationFor all of the New Yorkers that are out of work, Speaker Quinn is providing some solutions to create the jobs we need.New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been busy bringing programs and people together to create a job recovery plan for New York City. Her strategy is based on four principles; cultivate an economy of innovation, bolster small business, tax relief for small businesses and workforce education. In her 2010 State of the City Speech on February 18th, she laid out a set of programs, initiatives and legislation to address the challenges that high tech start-up’s face in New York City.
If we gave start-up companies the tools they need, New York City could be the center of innovation. Quinn announced developing New York City High-Tech Connect based on the San Diego Connect that helps start-up companies connect with resources like; talent, investors and a workspace. As well as a Municipal Entrepreneur Testing Service program that would alleviate some of the burdens that start-ups face in testing out new technologies by allowing City owned buildings to be used for testing out products. And to ensure financing, she is working on attracting companies like Citibank and New Grid Energy Solutions to invest in renewable energy.
So how do we keep existing jobs in New York City? According to Quinn small businesses are suffering from rules that “are enforced in a way that’s unfair and inconsistent.” A Business Owner’s Bill of Rights will be introduced requiring City inspectors to provide information to businesses before conducting an inspection. This year the City Council will be creating a “tax credit that will exempt mom and pop retailers from the City’s corporate tax” to alleviate some of the burdensome taxes they face.
In order to make sure that our workforce is prepared to fill these new positions we need to make sure that 1.6 million New Yorkers, Quinn declared “that are out of school and do not have a high school diploma” are able to take and pass the GED. In order to make taking the GED more accessible, the City will be launching a website where people can register to take the GED and find preparation courses and other materials that will help them pass the test.
For all of the New Yorkers that are out of work, Speaker Quinn is providing some solutions to create the jobs we need.
You can read the full speech at: http://council.nyc.gov/html/soc/main.shtml
EventsDownload the flyer: [pdf]
Facebook Event Page
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pmLocation: Trader Joe's on 14th St., Manhattan, NYCInfo:The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworker-led organization based in Immokalee, Florida has called for actions targeting Trader Joe's supermarkets. Farmworkers picking tomatoes for Trader Joe's earn 40-50 cents for every 32 pound bucket of tomatoes they harvest--wages that have not risen since 1978.
Grinding poverty leaves farmworkers vulnerable to further exploitation from employers. In the most extreme cases, forced labor. Since 1997, over 1,000 fruit and vegetable harvesters have escaped slavery rings, including both documented and undocumented workers as well as U.S. citizens in the agricultural fields of Florida (and the southeastern United States).
The Campaign for Fair Food aims to take a preventative approach by asking large corporations, like Trader Joe's, to leverage their high volume purchasing power to pay a premium price for tomatoes as well as sign a human rights agreement (like large corporations - Whole Foods and Subway have done) to agree to more humane standards in the fields, including a zero tolerance policy on forced labor, that is created and implemented by the workers themselves.
Just Harvest USA has informed Trader Joe's of these issues as well as identified stores carrying tomatoes from farms whose crew leaders were found guilty of slave labor in 2008. A year later, Trader Joe's has responded with silence and continue to boast about the sustainability of its food.
We ask them: Are poverty wages and modern-day slavery sustainable?!
NO! Meet with the CIW NOW!
Left Forum 2010 presents
THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD:
Rekindling the Radical Imagination
March 19-21
Pace University
One Pace Plaza
New York, NY 10038Each spring in New York City, Left Forum gathers intellectuals and activists from around the world to address the burning issues of our times. The theme for 2010 is "The Center Cannot Hold: Rekindling the Radical Imagination."
Register at http://leftforum.org/node/23
For more detailed info, please see Panels By Subject Area.
Questions? Please email Seth Adler, Conference Coordinator: seth@leftforum.orgThanks again!For any questions or comments please reply to this email.-The Building Blocks Team,Local 1500 is on Facebook, & Twitter, Friend Us, Follow Us! You can find all of our news on the 1500 Blog.
