Coalition of Immokalee Workers facts for kids

Logo of the CIW

Farmworkers protests organized by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a group that works to protect the rights of farmworkers. They focus on making sure companies act responsibly, stopping human trafficking (forced labor), preventing violence at work, and keeping workplaces safe and healthy.

The CIW started in 1993 in Immokalee, Florida, where many farmworkers live. Today, they are famous for their Fair Food Program (FFP), which began in 2011. This program uses the buying power of big food companies, like Taco Bell and Walmart, to make sure farms follow rules that protect human rights. The program started with tomato farms in Florida and has grown to ten US states and Chile. It also includes cut flowers and other crops. The CIW helps other groups use their successful "Worker-driven Social Responsibility" (WSR) model, which has been used in places like Bangladesh and Lesotho.

Besides their campaigns, the CIW was one of the first groups in the US to fight against human trafficking. They found many forced labor situations and worked with the government to stop them. They have helped free thousands of workers from slavery in the Southeastern US and teach law enforcement how to help victims.

Early Actions for Farmworkers

The CIW was first called the Southwest Florida Farmworker Project. It began in 1993 in Immokalee, Florida, a big center for growing tomatoes. The group believes in teaching people and helping them become leaders. Their motto is: "Consciousness + Commitment = Change." This means understanding problems and working hard to fix them.

Between 1995 and 2000, the CIW organized many protests. They were upset because farmworkers' pay was getting lower, and some workers faced violence from supervisors. During this time, they held work stoppages (when workers stop working) in 1995, 1997, and 1999. Six members even went on a 30-day hunger strike in 1997-1998. In 2000, they marched 230 miles from Ft. Myers to Orlando. These protests helped workers get a 13-25% raise, which was millions of dollars more each year for the community. But even with these raises, wages were still very low.

Around 2000, the CIW changed its plan. Instead of just focusing on farm owners, they realized that big food companies were also part of the problem. These large companies buy huge amounts of produce and demand lower prices from farms. To make up for this, farms often pay their workers less and make working conditions worse. So, the CIW decided to focus on these big retail companies.

Campaign for Fair Food

Partnering with Big Buyers

In 2001, the CIW started a national boycott against Taco Bell. This was the start of their Campaign for Fair Food. The CIW explained that when big companies like Taco Bell buy a lot of food and demand low prices, it forces farms to pay workers less and worsen their working conditions. Their main message was: "Taco Bell makes farmworkers poor."

A study by Oxfam America in 2004 agreed with this idea. It said that farms, pressured by their buyers, pass on the costs to the farmworkers, who are at the bottom of the food chain.

During the Taco Bell Boycott, the CIW worked with religious groups, community groups, and students from the Student/Farmworker Alliance. They all worked together because they wanted the same thing. Farmworkers wanted better pay and working conditions. Their allies wanted to buy food that was made fairly. This led to a national network of students, faith groups, and others who wanted to hold food companies responsible for human rights.

On March 8, 2005, Yum! Brands, Inc., which owns Taco Bell, agreed to all of the CIW's requests. These included:

• Paying farmworkers directly. This was the first time a fast-food company did this. It almost doubled the amount of money workers got from each sale.
• Creating a set of rules for farms to follow, called a Code of Conduct. The CIW helped check if farms followed these rules.
• Giving farms a reason to treat workers well, even if the law didn't require it.
• Being completely open about where Taco Bell bought its tomatoes in Florida.

After the Taco Bell success, the Campaign for Fair Food focused on other fast-food companies. McDonald's signed an agreement with the CIW on April 9, 2007. This agreement was similar to the Taco Bell deal. In May 2008, Burger King also signed an agreement. Burger King's CEO, John W. Chidsey, even apologized for past negative comments about the CIW. Six months later, in December 2008, Subway, the biggest fast-food buyer of Florida tomatoes, joined the program. By then, four of the world's largest fast-food companies supported the campaign. Chipotle Mexican Grill joined on October 4, 2012.

In September 2008, the CIW made a big step into the supermarket world by signing an agreement with Whole Foods Market. A Whole Foods executive said they felt the agreement fit their company's values. This was the first time a store agreed to support the CIW without big public protests.

From 2009 to 2010, the "Dine with Dignity" campaign by the Student/Farmworker Alliance targeted food service companies that operate on college campuses. During this time, the CIW made agreements with Bon Appétit Management Company, Compass Group, Aramark, and Sodexo.

In February 2012, Trader Joe's signed an agreement with the CIW. This agreement helped support the Fair Food Program. In January 2014, Walmart, the largest grocery store in the U.S., joined the Fair Food Program. Walmart agreed to help expand the program outside of Florida and to other crops. The United Nations praised the Fair Food Program for its "smart mix" of ways to check and enforce rules, including rewards for farms and a way for workers to report problems without fear.

In 2015, the CIW signed agreements with The Fresh Market and Ahold (which owns Giant and Stop & Shop).

Today, the Campaign for Fair Food is working to get Wendy's and other supermarket chains like Publix and Kroger to join the program. In March 2023, farmworkers marched across Florida to pressure Publix and Kroger to join and to highlight their difficult working conditions.

Some groups have challenged the CIW's work. For example, in 2017, one group questioned if the CIW should keep its tax-exempt status. However, a government investigation looked into it and dismissed the complaint.

Partnering with Growers

In November 2007, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE), a group of tomato growers, said that the deals with Taco Bell/Yum and McDonald's would not happen. They worried about legal issues and threatened their members with large fines if they worked with McDonald's or Yum Brands. One month later, an FTGE leader said it was "un-American" for outside groups to tell them how to run their business. Because of this, the extra money meant for workers was held back.

In April 2008, the US Senate held hearings about working conditions for tomato workers. A CIW leader and some senators disagreed with the FTGE's claims about worker wages. They also questioned why the FTGE was against the Campaign for Fair Food.

In November 2010, the CIW and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange finally reached an agreement. This agreement started the Fair Food Program for over 90% of the Florida tomato industry. It included strict rules, a way to solve complaints, a health and safety program, and worker-to-worker education. Workers could see their yearly wages increase significantly. The New York Times called this agreement a "remarkable victory" and said it was a step in the right direction after many years of unfair treatment.

Timeline of Agreements

Fair Food Program

How the Program Works

The Fair Food Program helps protect the basic human rights of farmworkers on farms that are part of the program. It uses the buying power of big food companies to make sure farms follow the rules. The CIW's agreements with these companies make sure the Fair Food Code of Conduct is followed. This includes a 24/7 hotline for complaints and regular checks of farms and offices.

The agreements with participating buyers have two main parts:

• Fair Food Premium: This is extra money paid by the stores directly to farmworkers. It helps increase their low wages.
• Code of Conduct Enforcement: If farms break serious rules (like forced labor) or don't fix other problems (like stealing wages), the companies stop buying from them.

Workers on these farms learn about their rights. They get information when they are hired and have in-person training sessions on the farm, during work hours, led by CIW teams.

The CIW works with companies and growers to improve the rules. For example, because of climate change and rising heat, the rules now include mandatory breaks every two hours and better ways to prevent heat stress. They also created rules to protect farmworkers from COVID-19 in 2020.

The Fair Food Standards Council is an independent group set up by the CIW. They run the 24/7 complaint hotline, do regular checks, and audit farms. They interview over half the workers on-site and check payroll to make sure wages are correct and the Fair Food Premium is paid. The Council is based in Florida and led by a former judge.

If a farm has problems, the Council works with them to create a plan to fix things. This helps farms improve and encourages them to follow the rules. If a farm doesn't follow the plan, they could lose business from the participating companies.

The complaint system helps build trust. Workers can report problems without fear of losing their jobs, and the Council helps solve these issues.

The Fair Food Program was the first example of the Worker-driven Social Responsibility (WSR) model, which puts workers at the center of human rights efforts. The Fair Food Standards Council shares reports about the program's impact and how it helps workers.

The Fair Food Sponsor Program

The FFP Sponsor Program is a new way for smaller stores to support ethical practices. These stores want to meet their customers' expectations and help create a fairer food system. Sponsors agree to three things:

• Make a yearly payment to the Fair Food Program.
• Teach their customers about the program.
• Try to buy produce from Fair Food Program farms if they can.

This program helps smaller food stores use their power to keep the good changes that the FFP has brought for workers. It also means the program doesn't rely only on big companies to encourage fair work.

Currently, this program includes several co-ops, one independent store, and one restaurant.

Program Expansion

The Fair Food Program is growing into new areas and states. In 2020, it expanded to the cut flower industry in Virginia, California, and since 2022, in Chile. The program also plans to expand to South Africa and Mexico with support from the US Department of Labor.

Fighting Modern Slavery

The CIW has a well-known way of fighting modern-day slavery in farming. They find, investigate, and help the government prosecute groups that force farmworkers to work. In these situations, workers are held against their will through threats and violence.

The CIW is a founding member of the national Freedom Network U.S.A., which helps victims of slavery and trafficking. The CIW also trains police and other groups on how to find and help people who are forced into slavery.

They work with many partners, including:

• Florida Statewide Task Force on Human Trafficking
• Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement
• Collier County Sheriff's Department Anti-Trafficking Unit
• US Attorney's Anti-Trafficking Task Forces
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.)
• North Carolina State Troopers Training Academy
• U.S. Department of Justice

In 2010, the CIW created a mobile Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum. It has traveled across the southern and eastern U.S. to teach people about this issue.

Community Support

One of the CIW's first achievements was setting up a cooperative store. This store sold food and other important items at a fair price to help fight high prices from local shops. Since 2004, the CIW has also run WCIW-LP (107.7 FM), a low-power FM radio station called "Radio Conciencia." It plays music, news, and educational shows in different languages. The station has been very important during hurricanes, giving out emergency information. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the radio helped spread information about the virus and how to stay safe. It also shared details about health services set up by the CIW with groups like Doctors Beyond Borders.

After a sad event where a farmworker named Nicholas Morales Besanilla died in September 2020, the CIW started the "Justice for Nicolas" campaign. They called for a federal investigation into the death, better crisis response teams, and more openness from the police.

The CIW has also worked to improve poor housing conditions for farmworkers, who often live in crowded and unsafe homes. These efforts increased after Hurricane Irma in 2017, which made the housing situation even worse. Today, CIW representatives help lead the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, a group that builds affordable homes for families.

Awards and Recognition

The CIW has received many awards and honors for their important work:

• 2006 – Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award for fighting human trafficking.
• 2007 – Anti-Slavery Award from Anti-Slavery International of London, the world's oldest human rights organization.
• 2008 – Sister Margaret Cafferty Development of People Award.
• 2010 – Adela Dwyer-St. Thomas of Villanova Peace Award.
• 2010 – People of the Year from Fort Myers News-Press for their amazing work.
• 2010 – Hero Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery Award from the U.S. Department of State, given to CIW Co-Founder, Laura Germino.
• 2012 – Growing Green Award for leaders in sustainable food and farming.
• 2013 – Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards, Freedom from Want Medal, for creating a plan for companies to be responsible and for winning fair wages and freedom from forced labor.
• 2014 – Clinton Global Citizen Award for the Fair Food Program as a new way for companies to be responsible.
• 2015 – Presidential Medal for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking in Persons, for starting the Fair Food Program and helping workers.
• 2017 – MacArthur Genius Fellowship awarded to CIW Co-Founder, Greg Asbed, for his new ideas to change workplaces.
• 2018 – ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism for protecting farmworkers' rights.
• 2022 – The American Bar Association’s Frances Perkins Public Service Award for their long fight for farmworkers' dignity.

The Fair Food Program was featured in a big article in The New York Times in 2014. A professor from Rutgers University called it "the best workplace-monitoring program I’ve seen in the U.S." Another expert said that the tomato fields in Immokalee went from being "the worst to the best" working environment in American agriculture because of the program.

Many others have praised the program:

• President Jimmy Carter said in 2013 that the CIW has created "innovative partnerships" and hopes it becomes a model for farming.
• A PBS producer called the Fair Food Program the most effective program to prevent problems in US agriculture.
• The United Nations praised the program for helping workers and using market incentives.
• The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships called the Fair Food Program one of the "most successful and innovative programs" in the world for fighting modern slavery.
• Experts from Yale University, Stanford University, and Sheffield University said in 2021 that worker-driven agreements are the best way to fight forced labor.
• In 2022, a Harvard group asked the government to help expand the Fair Food Program and similar efforts in agriculture.
• The United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights highlighted the Fair Food Program as a leading example of how to put workers' rights first.

See also

• Food Chains, a 2014 movie about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
• Workers' self-management
• Agriculture in Florida