Florida Catholic | Students March With Farmworkers

Students, others march in solidarity with farmworkers

LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 10.19.07

Lariza Garzon, 25, of National Farm Worker Ministry, and Jordan Buckley, 25, of Interfaith Action, march from Stetson University in DeLand to the Burger King restaurant on North Woodland Boulevard Oct. 5, in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. The march was part of the Florida Truth Tour conducted by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to raise awareness of unjust wages and living conditions of Florida tomato pickers.
JENNIFER SURGENT | FC

DELAND | They marched to the beat of a bucket — a plastic bucket used to collect 32 pounds of tomatoes. Signs proclaimed, "Justice Now," "Poverty," and on the flip side, "Poverty" in Spanish, "Pobreza." A few were costumed as a fast-food king, complete with papier-mâché heads. And there were banners identifying "Students for Workers," "Honk for a Living Wage" and a fast-food logo modified to declare, "Exploitation King."

Stetson University Students for Farm Workers and the National Farm Worker Ministry were hosts Oct. 5 to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Florida Truth Tour, which was traveling throughout the state raising awareness of the unjust wages and living conditions of Florida tomato pickers. A 32-pound bucket of picked tomatoes brings only 40 to 50 cents in wages, a rate that hasn't risen since 1978. An increase of "a penny more a pound" significantly affects the wages and lifestyle of the pickers, bringing their income up to poverty level, farmworkers and their advocates say.

Amanda Price, a sophomore majoring in molecular biology and psychology, was eager to share her views. "I'm here to support the farmworkers. It's really crazy that such a small difference can make such a big difference in their lives."

Everyone marched in a light drizzle — the end of a downpour that had delayed the marchers' demonstration — to the Burger King restaurant less than a mile down the street from the main gate of Stetson University.

Students throughout Florida, including those in Catholic schools in the Orlando Diocese, had participated in a successful national boycott against Taco Bell, the fast-food consumer of the largest volume of Florida tomatoes. Their efforts resulted in Taco Bell and its corporate conglomerate YUM! Brands Inc. — representing A&W, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver and Kentucky Fried Chicken — signing an agreement in March 2005 that included the increase in wages paid directly to the tomato picker, as well as corrections for human rights violations. McDonald's Corp. acquiesced in April 2007.

Griselda Avila, a junior majoring in international business, said, "It's a human right that they teach us that people have to have global ethics. There's room for change everywhere and I believe in the cause."

Burger King Corp. — another major fast-food giant whose corporate headquarters are in Miami, in close geographic proximity to the tomato fields of Immokalee — has steadfastly refused to participate in the agreements. With the statewide tour of rallies, the coalition is laying the groundwork to employ the proven path of student boycott again, if necessary.

Brian Bell, a junior majoring in physics said, "Basically, I'm here to put some faces to the people who are working for justice."

There were a few gray hairs amongst the marchers. Virginia Germino, a retired professor who taught at the graduate school of business at the University of Virginia said, "The biggest problem in our country is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. I support the cause of the farmworkers."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and especially the bishops of Florida have consistently urged dialogue between the workers and consumers, and greater justice.

It was a peaceful hourlong rally of people simply marching in front of the restaurant during the dinner rush hour. There was the frequent honking of horns, television and print media were present, as well as a single police vehicle. Success was measurable, however, in the people who stopped to ask for more information and chose to go somewhere else for dinner.

To learn how to help, visit the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Web site, www.ciw-online.org.

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Students, others march in solidarity with farmworkers

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