News • Sustainable Farming Campaign
US farmworkers protest over sexual harassment
Around 70 farmworkers held a five day fast in Manhattan to protest over appalling working conditions - including sexual violence - for tomato pickers.
The protest was held outside the offices of Nelson Peltz, the owner of Wendy’s, due to the fast food chain refusing to join the Fair Food Program.
FFP is a supply chain certification designed to stop exploitation in the fields. Tomato farms sign on to FFP and promise to adhere to its labour standards (including the right to shade and water, educating workers to their rights and helping worker make legal complaints.) Tomato buyers sign on and vow to only buy from FFP tomato farms, then multinational companies who buy tomatoes agree to pay a penny per pound more to benefit workers.
FFP began in 2005 by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers representing tomato growers in Florida. They say that:
'For generations, farmworker women have endured some of the most hostile working conditions this country has to offer. Farmworker women have referred to the constant barrage of catcalls, groping, and sexual assault as “our daily bread” in the fields, and in one study, four out of every five farmworker women reported experiencing sexual harassment or violence at work.'
Most of the major fast food chains in the US are part of FFP including McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, KFC and Chipotle. But not Wendy’s. They have refused to join FFP and have decided to stop sourcing their tomatoes from Florida and get them from Mexico where - according to the protesters - ‘sexual harassment and assault in the fields are endemic and farmworker women are intimidated into silence by a culture of fear, violence, and corruption.’
Wendy’s have previously responded to protests. They say that FFP shouldn’t be the only way to certify labour standards and they are proud of the businesses that they currently use to supply tomatoes.
On the last day of the fast the protesters were joined by hundreds of consumers for the “Time’s Up Wendy’s March.” You can see photos from the protest in an article by the New Food Economy.
Sustain campaigns for a food and farming policy which benefits the environment, health, animals, farmers and farmworkers.
Published Friday 30 March 2018
Sustainable Farming Campaign: Sustain encourages integration of sustainable food and farming into local, regional and national government policies.
