Publix, Coalition of Immokalee Workers Clash Over Tomato Pickers

Protesters at the Lakeland Publix demand an extra penny a pound for tomato pickers.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and allied groups showed up in Publix's hometown of Lakeland this weekend to renew their call for Publix to spend an extra penny per pound for Florida tomatoes. And now, they’re trying to link the company to human rights abuses.

Hundreds of protesters rallied in front of a Lakeland Publix grocery store Sunday, many wearing plastic ponchos in the light rain. They carried signs and chanted slogans accusing the grocery chain of supporting slavery, low wages and other labor abuses.

Walking in the picket line was Lucas Benitez, one of the founders of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and a march organizer.

"A lot of people from this community, from Lakeland, are standing right here with us and marching,” he said. “Customers from Publix say they don't want to buy sweatshop tomatoes and tomatoes produced by a very bad situation: low wages, no health care insurance for the workers."

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, or CIW, is demanding that Publix pay a penny more for each pound of Florida tomatoes they buy. The money would go into an escrow account, and the tomato grower would supplement workers' wages with that money.

Although the growers are required by law to pay their workers minimum wage, Benitez says employers find ways around that. He said Publix has bought tomatoes from companies who used contractors convicted of using forced labor.

So far, eight companies have agreed to the CIW campaign, including restaurants Taco Bell and McDonald's, and foodservice giant Aramark. In addition to the penny-per-pound supplement, the companies agree to negotiate with CIW and call for better conditions for workers.

But Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten says Publix is holding firm to its position.

"Why go after Publix when you're talking about workplace conditions, you're talking about wages, you're talking about productivity standards that are too strenuous? All those things need to go back to the employer," she said.

Further, Patten says the company knows of no tomato growers or anyone else in their supply chain that is supporting slavery -- and says if CIW knows of such cases, they should call the police.

"Slavery is a criminal offense. And if there's something like that going on, those complaints should go to the local, state and federal government agencies, not to the grocery store," she said.

She says Publix buys tomatoes from the company that CIW has recommended.

Tomato growers dispute the CIW claims of low wages. Jay Taylor was president and co-owner of Taylor and Fulton, Inc. in Palmetto. When he sold the company in 2007 he was one of the ten largest growers in the country. He said at that time, his workers were making more than $12 an hour with free housing and transportation.

"Did they work hard? Yeah, they worked very hard. But they're here for a reason. By and large they come into this country to better themselves and better their families. And they expect to work hard,” he said.

“But there's a reward there. If there was no reward, they wouldn't come."

Taylor says his company was regularly audited by the Department of Labor, followed the regulations of the Migrant and Seasonal Worker Protection Act and had his housing inspected monthly.

He says his dealings with the CIW are one of the reasons he sold his 60-year-old tomato business.

"They want to control the industry. They don't understand that by controlling it, they will destroy it," he said, by driving large buyers to purchase tomatoes from Mexico or central America.

The main tomato growers’ cooperative in Florida reversed its position last year, and now supports its members who choose to participate in the CIW's program.