CIW worker and interpreter visit Sporeprint Info Shop, one of many visits in Columbus, Ohio

Emilio told those of us gathered at Sporeprint Info Shop what it’s like to fill, pick up and carry a bucket of tomatoes during a 10 hour shift in the hot sun. For his demo, bags of rice filled the bucket to approximate the weight of one with tomatoes: about 36 lbs (when heaped) and about 30 lbs (when filled only to the rim). Most of us could lift the bucket onto our shoulders with some effort. But doing so only once, we got a tangible sense of what it might be like to lift the bucket hundreds of times and carry it during a 10 hour shift. Emilio said workers get about 50 cents per bucket, when working for growers and their giant corporate buyers that have not agreed to the Fair Food program. Under those conditions, they can barely make minimum wage via their long, hard labor. That’s why getting Wendy’s and Kroger to sign on to the CIW program is important. It gives workers a penny more per lb of tomatoes picked. It also enforces sane working hours so pickers can spend more time with their families and get proper rest, as well as protection against, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.

The light blue dry erase ink doesn’t show very well in this photo. But Emilio and his interpreter drew a pyramid to explain how corporations at the top of it dictate artificially low prices to the growers who are just below them on the pyramid. Emilio also said tomato growers are under pressure from Monsanto because of being charged higher prices for seeds. This increases pressure on crew leaders who directly supervise farm workers. Because they are at the bottom of the pyramid, the workers feel the most pressure as it comes down the supply chain, said Emilio. “So, CIW decided to go straight to the corporations. That’s where we have to make the change.” As a result, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has succeeded at getting 11 companies to sign on to its Fair Food Program, including McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Trader Joe’s, and Burger King, though holdouts remain such as Wendy’s, Kroger, and the grocery chain, Publix.