Fair Food Austin: ACTION ALERT: Tell Florida Governor Crist to take a stand against slavery!

January 26, 2009

ACTION ALERT: Tell Florida Governor Crist to take a stand against slavery!

If you could help end modern-day slavery in Florida's fields with an email, would you?

Click here to email Governor Crist today!

Those of you who have followed the CIW's work over the years know that the issue of forced labor has been a central focus of our efforts since we began organizing in 1993. So you know that we wouldn't call for an email action campaign on slavery if we didn't truly believe your email could help.

Today, we believe it can, and here's why: In all the years we have been fighting forced labor in Florida's fields, one very important player has remained stubbornly on the sidelines. Despite seven major prosecutions in the past decade, not once has the governor of our state -- the chief executive who wields tremendous public and political influence over the state's agricultural industry -- said a single word to condemn this most egregious human rights violation. Three men have occupied the post in that time and not one has said a word.

Today, with your help, we are going to demand that Governor Charlie Crist take the field in the fight against slavery. In the wake of the governor's spokesman's outrageous comments diminishing the significance of farm labor slavery, the CIW is calling on Gov. Crist to commit the full power of his office to address the plague of modern-day slavery in Florida’s fields. Add your voice to this call today by clicking on the following link, where you can learn more about the petition campaign and send an email or fax to the governor today.

Click here to email Governor Crist today!

Update 3/11: Governor Crist has agreed to meet with the CIW! Read the coverage here.

Who We Are

Since 2001, Fair Food Austin has organized with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for fair wages and dignified working conditions in the U.S. agricultural industry. The CIW is a farmworker organization headquartered in Immokalee, Florida with over 4,000 members. The CIW has aided in the prosecution by the Department of Justice of six slavery operations and the liberation of well over 1,000 workers.

We use creative methods to educate consumers about the human rights crisis farmworkers face and to promote the Campaign for Fair Food. The campaign requires large food corporations -- from Taco Bell to Whole Foods -- to demand more humane labor standards from their Florida tomato suppliers, to pay a premium price for more fairly produced tomatoes, and to buy only from growers who meet those higher standards.

Brutal conditions in Florida's fields may seem distant to consumers deep in the heart of Texas, but many of the restaurant and supermarket chains that have helped create this crisis are present in our community and buy Florida tomatoes at some point during the year. Human rights are universal, and by working together, farmworkers and consumers can create a better world.