A Penny More Per Pound of Tomato

Remember how we told you about the Fair Trade Initiative's informational protest in support of tomato pickers in Florida?  The UNM students were taking part in a campaign sponsored by ¶ The Coalition of Immokalee Workers to increase the pay and improve conditions for the pickers.

Virginia Pitts and Ellen Buelow, Bread members who belong to the Social Justice Committee at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Parish in Albuquerque, wanted to share a related editorial from The New York Times published on Dec. 3.

Fair trade is finally coming to the tomato fields of Florida, where farmworkers have won a remarkable victory in a 15-year struggle for better pay and working conditions. Last month, they struck a deal with growers to raise workers’ pay and to create an industry code of conduct, a health and safety program and a system to resolve worker complaints.   Read full editorial

Good News Indeed!