The nation’s largest produce industry groups have pledged to work together to improve farm labor conditions, in what could be the most significant step in the movement yet, says the Los Angeles Times. The Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association, which together represent thousands of retailers, growers and distributors, say they are considering an audit-based approach to improving working conditions, similar to that used by the apparel and electronics industries.
“The joint committee established by the associations is co-chaired by the chairman of Sam’s Club,” the Times reported. Tom Stenzel, chief executive of United Fresh, said all players in the supply chain, including labor groups, will be permitted to participate, according to the Times.
Erik Nicholson, vice president of the United Farm Workers, is optimistic, if wary, about where the partnership will lead: “When the two major produce trade organizations come together to recognize that more needs to be done on labor issues, we applaud those efforts. They haven’t reached out to us, which leaves us feeling a little skeptical. But we hope that happens in the near future so we can work together.”
The groups’ announcement comes after boycotts and media have turned sharp attention on farmworker treatment. The 2014 “Product of Mexico” series by the LA Times exposed brutal field conditions, dilapidated housing and wage theft on many of the farms that sell to major American companies. Wal-Mart and the Mexican government have since promised to help improve treatment on Mexico’s industrial farms, even as farmworkers in Baja California have organized a boycott against Driscoll, the world’s largest berry producer. In the United States, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a Florida-based labor group, successfully compelled Taco Bell, Wal-Mart, and Burger King, among others, to join its Fair Food Program, which promises bonus pay for workers, along with other benefits.
In 2012, FERN published an investigative report by Tracie McMillan, “As Common as Dirt,” on wage theft suffered by farmworkers.