The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
August 20, 2010

Protesters Call on Trader Joe’s to Adopt Humane Conditions for Tomato Pickers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Here in New York, dozens of people gathered in front of the grocery
chain Trader Joe’s new Manhattan location Thursday to demand humane
working conditions for farmworkers harvesting tomatoes sold inside
Trader Joe’s stores. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers says the
farmworkers’ wages have remained stagnant since 1978, with tomato
pickers having to put in ten-hour days just to make the minimum wage.
Luis Gomez of the Community Farmworker Alliance said Trader Joe’s has
purchased directly from fields that use modern-day slaves.

Luis Gomez: "We chose Trader Joe’s because recently it was uncovered
that Trader Joe’s purchases its tomatoes from a field that recently was
implicated in a case of modern-day slavery, where the farmworkers were
being held to work without being paid and having to work against their
will. So this is a direct connection between Trader Joe’s and where
they’re getting their tomatoes and the violation of human rights. So
that’s why we’re addressing Trader Joe’s to step up to the plate."
(Related coverage: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers Tour Across the
Country with the Florida Modern Day Slavery Museum)