tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077094356217914592.post3276658959839855826..comments2023-12-18T12:41:09.089-05:00Comments on Groundswell Blog: Modern Day Slavery in Agriculture: Another Good Reason to Buy LocalBecca Rimmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17936697911122073825noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5077094356217914592.post-50506208682281629102011-12-13T13:01:16.426-05:002011-12-13T13:01:16.426-05:00Via Millie, here's the response she received f...Via Millie, here's the response she received from CIW (Coalition of Immokalee Workers) in response to her article.<br /><br />"Hi Milagros,<br /><br />Thanks so much for your email. It's nice to hear that you took interest after your farming class! Thanks for sharing the story about your family member.<br /><br />It is crazy and very sad to think that the very same conditions that existed years and years ago are still very true to this day. Fortunately, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange signing unto the Fair Food Agreement it has brought a new day for over 30,000 farmworkers! Don't know if the changes were talked about during your farming class but it's quite amazing. Starting this season, the new changes are going to be implemented into 90% of the fields in Florida. For the first time, workers are receiving the one-cent bonus at the end of the week on their paycheck. There are shade structures being built in the fields. Workers have the right to water breaks, to complain without fear of being fired, women now have the right to complain if they experience any type of sexual harassment. Workers now don't have to arrive at the fields until later in the day, giving them time to spend<br />time with their children, something they couldn't do before since they were picked up by company buses at 5 am. Once they get to the fields, they have to punch in right away and when they leave, they punch out, assuring that their hours are being counted and they are making<br />minimum wage at least.<br /><br />Those are some of the changes that are taking place for the very first time! It's quite incredible.<br /><br />If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me. I work with Student/Farmworker Alliance, which is a network of students and youth that organize in solidarity around farmworker justice and we work in close partnership with the CIW.<br /><br />paz,<br /><br />Claudia Saenz<br />CLAUDIA@sfalliance.orgRachel Firakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771603442588183930noreply@blogger.com