Fair Food Nation to USF Board of Trustees: Publix can't set up shop on campus without committing to farmworker justice!

For over six years, thousands of farmworkers, consumer allies, and Fair Food supporters across the country have made an unwavering call to Publix – sending letters, making calls, biking, fasting and marching to the company's doorstep – to demand justice for the tens of thousands of farmworkers who make their profits possible. However, the Florida-based grocer has stubbornly refused to make a commitment to human rights for farmworkers in its supply chain. 

In October, University of South Florida students and community members received word that plans are underway for the construction of a Publix store at the USF Tampa campus. After months of discussion and deliberation, the proposal to grant Publix a property lease on campus comes to a vote before the USF Board of Trustees this Friday, January 15. Standing with farmworkers, USF students and members of Tampa Bay Fair Food are organizing locally and putting out the call to the rest of the Fair Food Nation to join them in sending a clear message to the USF Board of Trustees: Publix can't set up shop on our campus until they respect farmworkers' human rights! 

Join us for this call to action by signing and sharing this online letter that will be sent to the USF Board of Trustees and administrators. 

As a university, USF states that it strives to promote civic culture and build sustainable communities. Entering into business with Publix, a grocer that has shamefully turned its back on basic human rights for farmworkers for years, is inconsistent with USF's stated values as an institution that is accountable not just to students and alumni, but also to its surrounding community.

Take part in this vital moment in the campaign by signing and sharing the letter to the USF Board of Trustees by Friday, urging them to turn down Publix's proposal to build a supermarket on campus until they join the Fair Food Program.

-The Immokalee Crew

Hundreds call for justice in “Uniting for Fair Food” National Day of Action!

For many, the Thanksgiving holiday is a time to give thanks for the abundance in their lives. But what happens when the people who make that abundance possible, the thousands of farmworkers who harvest our daily fruits and vegetables, are left out of the picture? In their relentless 20-year struggle, the CIW has been working to eradicate decades of farmworker exploitation and powerlessness, and pave a path for change rooted in dignity and respect. 

Today, the Fair Food Program is well into its fifth season of implementation, and farmworkers at the head of the table, with the commitment of 14 multi-billion dollar food retailers, are eliminating longstanding abuses in the U.S. agricultural industry. 

Unfortunately, despite the transformational changes that farmworkers are experiencing today, there still exist retailers who consider it enough to give charity, and negate their responsibility to uphold the justice for which farmworkers and allies are calling. Publix, one of the country’s largest private supermarkets, and Wendy’s, the final fast food holdout, continue turning a blind eye to the success of the Fair Food Program and the existence of the “New Day” of human rights that is dawning in the fields of Florida and beyond. 

This year marks a milestone in charity for Publix Supermarkets. With Publix’s charity arm projected to donate $1.5 million to a dozen food distribution centers across the Southeast, Publix is delving deep into its money-lined pockets to give a little extra this holiday season. But what does charity mean when it is not followed by justice? What does charity mean when, for over six years, the “friendly neighborhood grocer” refuses to even have a conversation with the farmworkers who are also their neighbors? 

The same questions can be posed for Wendy’s, the only one of the country’s largest fast food corporations who has refused to participate in the Fair Food Program. Time and time again, the Fair Food Nation has made it loud and clear to Wendy’s that their inaction is unacceptable. And students and youth have kept up the heat on Wendy’s even as temperatures have dropped, with the burgeoning national student boycott of Wendy’s and ongoing Boot the Braids campaigns to end campus contracts with Wendy’s. 

And so on Nov. 21, hundreds of farmworkers, people of faith, community organizations, students and others across the country – from Miami to Jacksonville to Columbus – held true to their word in “Uniting for Fair Food” to amplify the urgent call for justice to Publix and Wendy’s. On marches, pickets, letter delegations, and social media, the Fair Food movement made it clear that it will only continue to grow until Publix and Wendy’s join the 14 corporations that are now part of the solution to farmworker abuse in this country’s agricultural industry. 

The Fair Food Nation showed up. Now, Publix and Wendy’s, it’s your move.

MIAMI: 
The community of Miami showed up in full force, as scores of students from Barry University, St. Thomas University, Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, the Dream Defenders, WeCount!, and Miami community members united with dozens of CIW members. Farmworkers and allies gathered with ponchos to brave the rain in one hand and Fair Food art in the other, ready for action! The two-mile, 150-person strong march took off with a jolt of energy. First up was the Wendy’s restaurant along famous Calle Ocho. Though the Wendy’s manager refused to accept the letter from the delegation, the march continued on as animated as ever. As the march reached Publix, the delegation was approached by both a Publix representative and a manager who stood in silence as each member of the delegation took turns explaining why they were uniting with farmworkers to call on Publix to join the Fair Food Program. During the reportback at José Martí Park, farmworkers, community members and students spoke their truth, reiterating that there is no excuse for Wendy’s and Publix’s rejection of the Fair Food Program. CIW’s Silvia Perez ended the action with a resolute reminder to both Publix and Wendy’s: “We aren’t going to get tired. We are going to keep going with our struggle. It’s when our voices are together and loud that we are able to create strength and achieve this.” 

ORLANDO:
In Orlando, nearly 100 Fair Food allies from the University Unitarian Universalist Society, the First Unitarian Church of Orlando, the Youth and Young Adult network of the National Farmworker Ministry, Park Lake Presbyterian Church, Timber Creek High School – and even from the Southeastern University Student/Farmworker Alliance chapter, based in Publix’s headquarter town of Lakeland, Florida — joined together for a lively picket and letter delivery to the manager of Publix on Lake Eola. As nearly all present had participated in prior CIW protests and were well aware of Publix’s six-year denial of human rights for farmworkers, the protest was infused with an air of steadfast commitment. Given their experience with Publix’s rebuff, the delegation who spoke with the manager was surprised by his personal expressions of applause for the CIW’s work and his final remark: “It really seems like support for this is growing.” 

JACKSONVILLE:
The powerful relationship between River City Science Academy, the community of Jacksonville and farmworkers in Immokalee strengthened more than ever as over 50 middle and high school students took to the streets for a three-mile march on Publix and Wendy’s. In a lively and energetic march, despite the afternoon drizzle, chants and songs echoed throughout the streets of Jacksonville as students chanted, “No rain, nor wind, will stop us, we will win!” After the march, students gathered near the Wendy’s restaurant for the final reportback from the delegations, where many spoke of their renewed dedication to the Campaign for Fair Food. In the words of one of the River City high school seniors to both Wendy’s and Publix: “We are strong, and we will not be intimidated.”

COLUMBUS: 
In the Buckeye State, Fair Food allies in Columbus– people of faith, students and community members – gathered outside of a recently-opened Wendy’s near the Ohio State University campus.  Right before the weekend’s football game, the sidewalk was crowded with fans and potential Wendy’s customers, who instead got to hear about how Wendy’s and Ohio State have refused to take a stand against farmworker exploitation, so long as the university continues to do business with Wendy’s. The ever-committed group proclaimed “OH - IO - exploitation has got to go!” as they picketed outside Wendy’s and encouraged students to join the growing boycott. The manager refused to accept the delegation’s letter or even engage in a dialogue. 

TAMPA:
Members of Tampa Bay Fair Food, United Methodist Women, Tampa Food Not Bombs, students from the University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College gathered for an energetic picket at Publix on the highly-trafficked Fowler Avenue. The CIW’s Leo Perez and Tampa allies led letter delegations to speak with representatives from Publix and Wendy’s, connecting their experiences to their commitment to Fair Food. Despite continuously empty responses from both Publix and Wendy’s, farmworkers and their allies remain committed to the struggle for dignity, respect, and long-awaited justice. On this note, the Tampa contingent of the Fair Food Nation united their voices for a final round of chants: “We’ll be back! We’ll be back!"  

PROVIDENCE:
As the consumer movement and national student boycott of Wendy’s grows by the day, members of the Central Falls worker-led organization Fuerza Laboral and the Brown Student Labor Alliance came together to amplify the call for Fair Food in Providence, RI.  Despite the cold, over 20 dedicated workers and students marched and chanted in support of Wendy’s joining the proven solution to farmworker exploitation.  Fuerza and SLA, who are calling for justice for workers throughout Rhode Island and throughout the food system, and students at Brown, who are demanding racial justice on their campuses and in their communities, joined in this day of action to send Wendy’s a clear message: You must take responsibility and join an enforceable, farmworker-designed Program that is systematically transforming working conditions in the fields for the first time in the history of the industry.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA:
At the University of Florida, yet another Boot the Braids school, CHISPAS members took to social media to show support and spread the word of their ever-increasing efforts to Unite for Fair Food. SFAers set up tables at the Plaza of the Americas, a heavily-trafficked part of campus, as students stopped by to take pictures with signs, sporting their willingness to boycott Wendy's until they join the Fair Food Program. Students also used this opportunity to build relationships among on-campus organizations that are continuing to join the fight for Fair Food. After yet another successful Wendy's action, CHISPAS is gearing up for more actions on campus as the spring semester approaches.

CALL TO ACTION: "Uniting for Fair Food" National Day of Action on Nov. 21!

After two decades of farmworker-led struggle, the promise of a New Day of justice for farmworkers in the tomato fields of Florida and beyond has finally taken hold.  With 14 food retailers now part of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program, we are seeing incredible changes — from a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and modern-day slavery, to access to shade, water, and bathrooms, to a real voice on the job — made real not only in Florida, but across state-lines. Just a few months ago, the CIW traveled up and down the eastern seaboard of the United States — Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey — carrying out worker-to-worker education sessions about these new rights for the first time ever with thousands of workers beyond Florida. Since the inaugural season of the Fair Food Program four years ago, workers have been reporting the immense differences between farms on which the Program is implemented and those on which it is not, where the historic abuses of the agricultural industry towards farmworkers continue to persist. Each such report underlines the deep urgency of the reinforcement and expansion of the Program, which will only be possible through more retailers joining — yet, corporations like Wendy’s and Publix continue to utterly deny their responsibility to farmworkers.  

During a time of year when many share in acts of guidance, mutuality and charity, the CIW is asking the Fair Food Nation to come together and share in acts of justice. On Saturday, November 21st allies across the country are “Uniting for Fair Food” in a National Day of Action to call on Wendy’s and Publix to move beyond charity and to commit to the human rights of farmworkers and their families. 

The Fair Food Nation is already deep in the planning stages: cities, Fair Food groups — from Miami to Nashville and everyone in between — and students at Barry University, St. Thomas University, and University of Michigan (to name just a few!) are gearing up to show Publix and Wendy’s that they must recognize their responsibility to the farmworkers who make their profits possible and ensure that the food they provide is harvested in just conditions. 

As Publix works vigorously to open more stores beyond the Florida border, it cannot continue to expand its market across the Southeast without also expanding its commitment to dignity and fair working conditions for farmworkers. The expansion of Publix’s market will continue to contribute to the expansion of poverty and exploitation of farmworkers until Publix takes up its responsibility to the farmworkers within its supply chain. 

For over two years, Wendy’s has continued to be the fast-food holdout of the industry. While they promote that they value a “commitment to quality,” they must also value a commitment to the human rights of farmworkers. Wendy’s benefits from the labor of farmworkers and is accountable to ensure that the “quality” behind their burgers is redefined to include a quality of life for farmworkers and their families.

As food retailers that pride themselves in the charity work they do, both Wendy’s and Publix must listen to the call coming directly from the farmworkers in their supply chain, in whose poverty they are complicit: Rather than charity, what farmworkers are calling on Wendy’s and Publix to do is justice. It’s justice that is allowing farmworkers to finally see changes in sub-poverty wages and in the exploitation that once dominated the agriculture industry, changes in an industry that once forced workers to depend on charity for survival. And so it’s justice that farmworkers, students, people of faith and community groups are uniting around this November 21: together, we have held firmly to the belief that we must work together in order to see these changes fully realized, and together we continue to take action.

On November 21st, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Alliance for Fair Food is inviting the Fair Food Nation to show Wendy’s and Publix how justice is truly created. Pickets, marches, manager letter delegations, and community celebrations will be happening all across the country, and we invite you to join in on making this day of action an even stronger call for justice. 

If you have any questions or if you would like to plan an action contact us at organize[at]allianceforfairfood[dot]org.

See you in the streets, 

The Immokalee Crew

North Carolina Publix Truth Tour kicks off in Asheville!

The CIW's NC Publix Truth Tour is now underway, and the Immokalee crew's first stop in Asheville was a great success! After four days of learning about the abuses traditionally faced by farmworkers in the agriculture and the proven solution that is eradicating those abuses in the fields today, the Western North Carolina community came together with farmworkers to send a unified message to Publix: "If you want to expand into our community, you must expand your commitment to human rights!"

With the CIW's Fair Food Program now expanding to states outside of Florida, including North Carolina, the time is more pressing than ever for Publix to join the CIW at the table and use their tremendous market power to strengthen and further expand farmworkers' human rights.

Don't miss the Truth Tour crew's first-hand report from the mountainous roads of the Tarheel State: 

Last week, the North Carolina Publix Truth Tour had an incredible first stop in Asheville, where community members warmly welcomed the tour crew into their classrooms, congregations and communities — and then joined us at Publix for the first protest of the tour! 

Our days in this friendly mountain town were packed with efforts to connect with allies and then take action together.  Students at University of North Carolina Asheville and Warren Wilson College were moved by the CIW’s message, and then brought together their own plans to join the Sunday picket.  CIW was also welcomed to services at Beth Israel Congregation, who connected with the Fair Food delegation through T’ruah, the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.  Asheville FM Community Radio helped spread the word further about CIW’s visit to town and the upcoming protest, interviewing the CIW’s Santiago Perez about the incredible changes the Fair Food Program has brought to the agricultural industry as well as the campaign to bring Publix on board, especially as they seek to expand their stores in North Carolina.

We also brought the story of the Fair Food Program and Publix’s refusal to join to fellow workers in the Western North Carolina area, many of whom follow the tomato harvest north from Florida during the summer.  CIW’s Lupe Gonzalo and Santiago Perez were interviewed on the airwaves of JM Pro, a radio and video production viewed by hundreds in the Western North Carolina worker community.  They shared the exciting news not only of the burgeoning Publix campaign in Asheville and across the state, but also of the new expansion of the Fair Food Program into North Carolina, which began this past summer as CIW traveled to farms up the east coast, talking to thousands more workers about their new rights. 

On Thursday evening, workers, students and other community members were brought together for a screening of the award-winning documentary “Food Chains” at the local Carolina Cinema. The screening and talkback was well-attended by locals, and even a group who drove an hour from the farmworker community in neighboring Sylva, with the Vecinos Farmworker Health Program, to hear from the CIW.  They were excited not only to join CIW's Campaign for Fair Food going forward, but also to share more information about the Fair Food Program’s expansion with the farmworkers in the state of North Carolina. 

The Asheville tour stop culminated in a spirited picket at Publix that could not be dampened even by the afternoon rain!  Inspired by the “Food Chains” screening and the many presentations of the previous days, dozens of community members, students, professors, local business owners turned out -- and were even joined by several members of Nashville Fair Food, who couldn't be kept away when they heard CIW would be visiting their neighbor state. 

Rain-soaked but exuberant, North Carolinians and the CIW drove home the same message NC has been sending to Publix since the grocer's first forays into the state: as Publix seeks to expand their consumer base in North Carolina communities, consumers are demanding that the supermarket also expand their commitment to human rights. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Ashevillians have made this resolute call to Publix.  In fact, even before the Asheville Publix store opened this last spring, scores of North Carolinians protested alongside farmworkers at the construction site during CIW’s 2014 Now is the Time Tour, then picketed at the opening in May, and have made their message known in the local press time and time again.

This time around, while the picket started up, a delegation led by CIW's Lupe Gonzalo sought to enter the store (and of course, were denied entry) to deliver the letter signed by community members, inviting Publix once again to become part of the proven solution to farmworker poverty and powerlessness. After Lupe urged the manager to pass the community's letter onto his higher-ups, a member of Beth Israel spoke proudly of the rich history of Jewish support in the Campaign for Fair Food.  She shared that as a longtime Asheville resident and person of faith, Publix’s refusal to join the Fair Food Program — already supported by Publix's Asheville competitor up the road, Walmart — is unconscionable, and she looks forward to the day soon where she and her congregation can celebrate Publix coming to the table with the CIW.  A student from Warren Wilson closed the delegation, sharing her dismay upon learning about Publix’s position and resolve to continue organizing with her community to continue to amplify this call.  

The CIW wrapped up the picket by sharing with the participants the call for a National Day of Action on Nov. 21.  As Lupe informed the crowd, this is the weekend before Thanksgiving, and Publix will surely be promoting its family-friendly image and charity efforts, and yet will continue to refuse to respect the farmworkers who make the food on their shelves — and profits in their pockets — possible.

The Truth Tour crew took off with promises to return to Asheville soon – made to both the dozens of allies who have shown their unwavering support for the Campaign and to the local Publix management – and with much excitement for what is waiting ahead in the Triangle Area and Charlotte! 

Follow along as the CIW and AFF continue spreading truth and consciousness to North Carolina consumers about Publix's staunch refusal to take part in the changes that are transforming the lives of tens of thousands of farmworkers and their families in Florida and beyond – and stay tuned for the final Truth Tour report next week! 

Farmworker families, allies gather for 100-strong protest at Sarasota Publix, calling on Florida’s grocer to join the Fair Food Program!

This past Sunday, scores of Sarasota community allies united side-by-side with farmworker families from Immokalee for a lively picket calling on Publix to end its six-year silence and come to the table with farmworkers. They gathered, chanting and cheering and inviting the many passers-by to “honk for justice,” outside of one of Sarasota’s largest Publix stores, prominently located on the well-trafficked intersection of U.S. 41 and Bay St. 

Sarasota’s 5th annual Eat Local Week, in honor and celebration of local food, farming, and farmwork, partnered with the CIW to put together this energetic protest. As part of this weeklong event, the action was preceded by a screening of the award-winning documentary Food Chains where dozens of food-conscious Sarasotans learned, many for the first time ever, of the CIW’s pathbreaking work for justice in the fields!

Led by the CIW, the colorful protest was bolstered by the participation of allies from across Sarasota and across central Florida – including Transition Sarasota, students at New College of Florida, University of South Florida, and Hillsborough Community College all the way in Tampa, congregants at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Sarasota Quaker Meeting, and Temple Beth Israel. 

After nearly an hour of heartfelt and peaceful protest, amid rousing chants of “What do we want? Justice!” and “Down, down, with the exploitation! Up, up with the Fair Food Nation,” the crowd gathered to hear reports from the Publix delegation. The committed group of farmworkers and faith and student allies that had entered the store to speak to the manager and other representatives from Publix corporate described how the company continued to deny farmworkers a seat at the table. Publix representatives stood in silence, even as they heard loud and clear what Florida farmworkers want and deserve: justice and an authentic commitment to addressing the structural poverty and exploitation embedded in U.S. agriculture for too long – not piecemeal charity.

The #FairFoodNation was a force to be reckoned with back when it gathered at this very Publix as it opened its doors in 2011. And this Sunday’s high-spirited affair showed Publix once again that, despite (or because of) its failure to respect farmworker rights by joining the Fair Food Program, the CIW and its supporters are here to stay! 

More and more of its supermarket peers including Ahold USA and Walmart, have come on board even as Publix continues to ignore the call for justice – so, continuing to stand in solidarity with farmworkers across the state of Florida, the Fair Food Nation knows it’s only a matter of time before the Florida company comes to the table.

Sarasota’s energy served as an inspiring and grounding send-off for the members of the CIW embarking this week upon the 13-day North Carolina Publix Truth Tour, generating consciousness and commitment to the movement for dignity and respect in the fields within communities across the Tarheel State. The CIW is in North Carolina as Publix expands its market into this state to make sure that North Carolinian consumers know about the company’s complicity in the poverty and exploitation of workers which, outside of the scope of the Fair Food Program, continues to characterize the U.S. agricultural industry. 

So as Publix continues to expand to the Southeast, may the strengthening call of the Fair Food Nation in Publix’s hometown state of Florida serve as a reminder that the supermarket cannot continue to expand its market without seriously committing to human rights for farmworkers. 

Publix – end the silence, and join the New Day! 

CALL TO ACTION: #UnmaskingWendys National Weekend of Action!

This September, over 20 cities and college campuses joined together for the #SchoolingWendy’s week of action! From Food Chains screenings to #BootTheBraids actions, from pickets to letter deliveries, the Fair Food Nation’s message to Wendy’s was loud and clear: Wendy’s, there’s no excuse for your absence in the Fair Food Program!  Through the weekend, this movement brought together an even stronger vision of what a network comprised of students, leaders of faith and community members can achieve when uniting for Fair Food. But that’s just the first step — we’ve heard Wendy’s endless excuses and PR ploys, and now … it’s time for the Fair Food Nation to unmask them for what they really are! 

As the nights get longer and the days a bit cooler, and Wendy's groundless excuses persist, we are more conscious than ever that while they attempt to step towards modernity, they cannot hide behind their old-fashioned values and blatant exploitation. It’s no coincidence that as Halloween night approaches, we are all haunted by the commitment to Fair Food that current Wendy’s CEO, Emil Brolick, made in 2004 while President of Taco Bell.  Even their sugar-coated tricks won’t be able to withstand the call from the Fair Food Nation, getting louder day by day. 

This Halloween, join us in the #UnmaskingWendys Weekend of Action! Whether a march, a picket, or a letter delivery at your local Wendy’s, we are asking the Fair Food Nation to take to this streets this Halloween weekend. While many will be out asking for sweets and treats, the Fair Food Nation will be calling on Wendy’s to do the just and right thing, and join the Fair Food Program. With the call for dignity and respect ringing truer and truer by the day, the ghost of Emil Brolick’s past commitment to Fair Food will not be able to endure the ever-growing (and now spookier!) call from the Fair Food Nation. 

Get in touch at organize@allianceforfairfood.org to begin planning for the #UnmaskingWendys Halloween Weekend of Action! 

See you in-costume at Wendy’s locations across the country! 

CIW announces North Carolina Publix Truth Tour, Oct. 28-Nov. 9!

Next week, farmworkers from Immokalee and allies from the AFF will hit the open road for this fall’s North Carolina Publix Truth Tour! This journey builds on a long, rich history of CIW Truth Tours, in which farmworkers have crossed the country spreading consciousness about the exploitation and poverty behind the food we eat — and inspiring consumer allies to commit to action to be part of the solution. 

But on this month's journey to the Tarheel State, CIW will have a different story to share — one of the incredible New Day for human rights that has not only taken root across the Florida tomato industry, but expanded into North Carolina and up through New Jersey this summer, as CIW held worker-to-worker trainings on knowing and protecting farmworkers' rights through the Fair Food Program for the first time.  But, as the Fair Food Program has expanded, Publix has not only been unconscionably absent, but has begun to expand their stores in North Carolina without taking responsibility to ensure workers within their supply chain in Florida are being treated with dignity and respect. 

Moreover, during Publix’s six-year refusal to support human rights for farmworkers, their major grocery counterparts, including Walmart, Ahold USA (Stop & Shop and Giant), Trader Joe’s, The Fresh Market and Whole Foods, have all joined the Fair Food Program. With this portrait of Publix in front of them — despite Publix’s inexhaustible PR investment —North Carolinian consumers have made their message clear: You can’t expand into our neighborhoods without expanding your commitment to human rights. So, on this tour, farmworkers and allies will visit five major NC cities: Asheville, Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Charlotte — speaking truth, connecting and taking action with consumer allies to continue to spread this message across the state. 

The tour will be jam-packed with university presentations, church visits and meetings with community groups, but each stop will be anchored by a free screening of "Food Chains" and a protest at a Publix: 

Asheville (Oct. 28-Nov.1)

Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.
Food Chains Screening at Carolina Cinemas Asheville
1640 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC 28803

Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.
Publix Protest
1830 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC 28803

Triangle Area (Nov. 2-4; 8-9)

Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
Food Chains Screening at Raleigh Grande Theater
4840 Grove Barton, Raleigh, NC 27613

Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.
Publix Protest
1020 Bradford Plaza Way, Cary, NC, 27519

Charlotte (Nov. 5-7)

Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
Food Chains Screening at Carolina Cinemas Charlotte
9630 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28270

Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.
Publix Protest
2222 South Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28203

As the Fair Food Program becomes stronger and more far-reaching, as more corporations — including Publix’s counterparts — join, and as connections deepen between farmworkers and the people of North Carolina, Publix should know that as long as it continues to evade its responsibility to farmworkers in its supply chain, North Carolinians will continue refusing to welcome Publix as their neighborhood grocery store.

Get ready to follow along CIW’s journey across North Carolina! Spread the word by sharing news of the tour far and wide, and contact us at organize@alliancefairfood.org if you’re interested in joining us along the way. 

#SchoolingWendys Week of Action: Photo Report

Following the lead of students #SchoolingWendys this past week, hundreds of members of the Fair Food Nation took action at Wendy’s restaurants to teach the fast food giant a lesson about their failure to become part of the proven solution to farmworker exploitation. 

The actions — in cities and towns from San Diego to Providence, St. Pete to Chicago, and of course, here in Immokalee, included “Food Chains” screenings, letter delivery delegations and pickets. And from Duquesne to Southeastern University, from The Ohio State University to the University of Texas at Austin, hundreds of students joined the mounting national student boycott of Wendy’s, reiterating that they will not be purchasing their food until they join their competitors in the Fair Food Program.

Without further ado, we have reports from those on-the-ground in several participating cities and communities:

STUDENTS ACROSS THE NATION

In what was for some the first time taking action in solidarity with farmworkers and for some the dozenth, students across the nation took action to reinforce the call for Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program. Students at campuses with Wendy’s restaurants like UT Austin, University of Michigan, and The Ohio State University launched or continued the flourishing campaign to "Boot the Braids,” and hundreds of other students joined the robust and growing national student boycott of Wendy’s on campuses around the country, from Duquesne to Georgetown to Trevecca to Southeastern to so many in between.  Actions included but were not limited to “Food Chains” screenings, letter delivery delegations, and “#BringYourOwnTomato” - consisting of students taking their own tomatoes to Wendy’s demanding that their sandwiches be made with Fair Food tomatoes. 

PROVIDENCE

Taking big action in a small state, over 20 members of Fuerza Laboral, Direct Action for Rights and Equality, and students from the Brown Student Labor Alliance, and MEChA de Brown (Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan) gathered at a Providence Wendy’s restaurant to carry forward Rhode Islander’s longstanding call to Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program!  Not to be deterred by a delayed bus route, they began chanting at the busy bus stop, cheered on by car horns and passersby. Once the group reached the Wendy’s, the students and community organizers began to picket and chant, “Your burgers may be square but your food ain’t fair!”  All those in attendance then entered the Wendy’s to deliver a letter to the store manager expressing their demand for Wendy’s to respect farmworker rights, asking that they pass it on so that it might reach Wendy’s CEO.  They were rebuffed, but left with an ever-strong commitment to continue their call to Wendy's.  

San Diego

Straight from San Diego is a direct account from a small but committed delegation to the manager! "On Sunday, October 4, five people participated in a letter delivery and picket in front of one of the Wendy’s restaurants located in the city of San Diego. We picketed in front of Wendy’s from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  At 1:15 we went inside Wendy’s and handed in a manager letter. We proceeded to tell her that we were allies of the CIW and customers of Wendy’s, and we were there to urge Wendy’s to get on board with the Fair Food Program.”

During the letter delegation, the manager was informed of Wendy’s refusal to join the Fair Food Program and how they remain the final fast food hold out. In the midst of the picket, a few conversations were had. A latino family who’d carried the tradition of going to Wendy’s every Sunday after church vowed not to eat there anymore until they joined the Fair Food Program. There were honks of support as well as comments of disapproval, but the message was delivered either way. 

T’ruah

As they celebrated the harvest holiday of Sukkot, T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, took to the web to make their statement to Wendy’s. With tweets demanding that Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program, and a call for constituents to email CEO Emil Brolick, T’ruah emphasized the moral responsibility Wendy’s has to join the Program, ending their email with the following:

“So I ask Wendy's: If not now, when? Corporate values such as "do the right thing" and "treat people with respect" are meaningless when there is a proven solution to abuse in your supply chain. Joining the Fair Food Program is not just about good business for Wendy's. It is a moral imperative. I look forward to the day soon when Wendy's commits to the Fair Food Program.” 

ST. PETE

In St. Pete, we have a report from SFAer and Quaker Kate Sundberg:
"On Saturday, the Southeastern Yearly Meeting (SEYM) held Fall Interim Business Meeting where Quakers from all over Florida gathered in St. Petersburg. Quaker youth from Miami, Tallahassee, Sarasota, and St. Pete converged to make signs and get ready for an action on Wendy’s for the Schooling Wendy’s Week of Action. Quakers who were led to take action in the streets joined us and we walked to a nearby Wendy’s with beautiful signs, red wigs, and a ton of energy. At Wendy’s we picketed and chanted and a small delegation, consisting mostly of youth, went into the store to talk to the manager. The manager accepted the letter and told us she would pass it on to her boss. People surrounding the Wendy’s were also very curious so we handed out a bunch of flyers with information about the CIW and the Fair Food Campaign. After the action we reported back to the Quakers who were unable to join us, and who were also very supportive of our work and the Fair Food Campaign.”

Immokalee

And at the very heart of the Campaign for Fair Food, members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the AFF Immokalee crew paid a visit to a local Wendy’s this past Saturday.  Not only surrounded by those present, but also conscious that the message she shared was reverberating around the country, Nely Rodriguez of the CIW spoke with the manager of a Ft. Myers restaurant about the chain’s responsibility to do right by the farmworkers who make their profits possible. Some of the younger CIW members present — in middle school here in Immokalee — carried signs declaring the student boycott to remind Wendy’s that it’s not only university students around the country who are joining the student boycott, it’s students of all ages, including students here in the nucleus of the CIW’s fight for Fair Food.  

As the tomato season begins here in Immokalee, blue October skies are overhead, and the New Day of farmworker justice continues to shine ever brighter in Florida tomato fields — and now in tomato fields in Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina, too.  The New Day of the CIW’s Fair Food Program means the right to a fair wage. It means zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the fields and zero tolerance for forced labor. It means access to shade, water, and bathrooms, and the right to speak up without fear of retribution.  And the New Day means that corporations and growers long complicit in the abuse of farmworkers’ rights are now part of the farmworker-designed solution.  

Wendy’s, alone among major fast food corporations, continues to remain in the night of a terrible history of abuse of farmworkers.  Wendy’s, the New Day is here and this thriving consumer movement will only grow and grow until you join.  

Until then, Halloween is right around the corner — and if memory serves, October 31 has proved in the past to be a scary day for corporations that refuse to respect farmworker rights … 

Hundreds of people of faith, students, community members amplify the call for Wendy’s to respect farmworkers’ rights, with over 15 more on-the-ground actions still to come!

In a brilliant beginning to the #SchoolingWendys National Week of Action, hundreds of people of faith, students, and community members have already taken to the streets, classrooms, pews and Twitterverse to further amplify the ever-growing call to Wendy’s: Respect farmworkers’ rights and join the Fair Food Program!

The Week of Action kicked off with power and liveliness in Orlando this Monday, as members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, dozens of young people from the Youth and Young Adult Network of the National Farmworker Ministry, congregants of the University Unitarian Universalist Society, students from University of Central Florida, and members of the Orlando community came together for a peaceful picket with art and song.  

And on the online front, our friends at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee have been spreading the message of Fair Food to their wide-reaching network.  In a memo sent to thousands, they wrote about the Fair Food Program: “While this worker- and market-driven strategy has been a runaway success, holdouts like Wendy's refuse to take responsibility for just working conditions in an industry long plagued by abuse. … By refusing to sign onto the Fair Food Program, Wendy's is creating a market for tomatoes not certified as "fair" and is failing to help transform an industry.”  So far, dozens of UUSC members have taken online action and pledged to join actions happening in their local communities.  

And Wednesday night at the University of Texas–Austin, dozens of students marched from one on-campus Wendy’s location to the other — two of the highest-grossing Wendy’s in Texas — to declare a student boycott of these restaurants and a campaign to “Boot the Braids” and terminate the university’s contract with the two Wendy’s locations.  The announcement comes on the heels of commitments from dozens of students at Georgetown to join the student boycott in Washington, DC.

These forms of public witness are all accompanied by an air of formidable dedication; many of those taking action have been working in solidarity with the CIW for years, many are just getting involved, and all carry a commitment to farmworker justice that, at the leadership of the CIW, has brought 14 major food corporations to the table — and that will surely bring Wendy’s to the table, too.  

It is this steady commitment that birthed this Week of Action: For years, the Fair Food Nation has been calling on Wendy’s to join with the CIW as they transform working conditions in tomato fields in Florida, and as of this summer, up the Eastern seaboard.  The past few seasons have seen the utter metamorphosis of deeply-entrenched abusive conditions to a new day of human rights for farmworkers: zero tolerance for sexual harassment; zero tolerance for modern-day slavery; access to shade, water and bathrooms; increased wages; the right to speak up without fear of retribution. 

How long can Wendy’s continue their unconscionable refusal to join the proven solution to farmworker exploitation?  

Until Wendy’s does right by farmworkers, the call for them to join the Fair Food Program will reverberate in dozens of cities across the country as this week unfolds — and it will only continue to grow.  

Check out the list of actions to find one near you or contact us at organize@allianceforfairfood.org if you’d like support in organizing one with your community, congregation or university!  

Annual youth convergence in Immokalee sparks 20+ actions for upcoming "Schooling Wendy’s" Week of Action

Two weeks ago, over 80 students and youth from all over the country made their way down to Immokalee for the Student/Farmworker Alliance's annual youth gathering, the Encuentro, where they connected with and learned from the very community leading the struggle for justice in the fields of Florida. 

From Wendy’s and Publix based strategy sessions to a vibrant action with over 100 Immokalee farmworker community members, students, and Southwest Florida allies, the entire weekend was full of a new-found energy for both Encuentro participants and the rest of the Fair Food Nation alike.

What’s more, that energy has proven fruitful in further amplifying the call for the upcoming “Schooling Wendy’s” National Week of Action.  Over 15 cities, from coast to coast, have confirmed participation, and will be putting out the call for final fast food holdout to respect farmworkers in their supply chain at a Wendy's near you! From Food Chains screenings and letter deliveries,  to teatros and marches, the entire Fair Food Nation will be “Schooling Wendy’s” this Sept. 27 - Oct. 4 on the many ways Wendy’s has failed to commit to ensuring the men and women who harvest the produce they serve in their square burgers are guaranteed dignified wages, just working conditions and a voice in their workplace. 

Check out actions happening near you or contact us to plan your own! 

So as the summer draws to a close, and the Fair Food Nation continues to turn up the heat on Wendy’s, we are all reminded that there is a "new day" for farmworkers dawning in the fields of Florida and beyond. And with that, the final fast food holdout, Wendy’s, has no choice but to do what is just and right, and join the Fair Food Program.