A small group of workers in Florida began meeting weekly back in 1993 in a room borrowed from a local church to talk about how they could start improving their lives. About 22 years later, that small group has transformed into a powerful force for fairness in the labor market — and even the White House has noticed.
On Jan. 29 in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State John Kerry gave the 2015 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) — an advocacy group focused on removing injustice from Florida’s tomato sector. The crop is a $1.3 billion industry in the U.S., and Florida is the leading producer among all states.
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During President Obama’s trip to India, he spoke out about keeping international trade ethical in regards to how products are made.
“As we grow, we have to do it responsibly, and stay true to our values and uphold basic standards and rule of law,” Obama had said. “We have to keep striving to protect the rights of our workers; to make sure that our supply chains are sourced responsibly.”
