March 12, 2009
by Bethany Furkin

After months of gathering signatures from concerned citizens and religious groups, including members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a farm workers' rights group will present petitions calling for a meeting with the governor of Florida to discuss ending modern-day slavery.

The petitions – one from faith communities and one from the general public – will be presented at a press conference March 9 in Tallahassee.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers which has an established partnership with the PC(USA) through the PC(USA)'s Campaign for Fair Food, is a community-based worker organization in Florida that works for fair wages, an end to indentured servitude in the fields, better working and living conditions and stronger laws against those who violate workers' rights. It has forged agreements with companies such as Yum! Brands, Burger King, Subway and McDonald's to address modern-day slavery and advance farm workers' human rights.

In the petitions, the CIW and its supporters ask Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to meet with the CIW to "discuss ways to eradicate slavery and abuses from Florida's fields." In December, farm labor supervisors in Florida were sentenced in federal court for enslaving tomato pickers. The pickers had been beaten, chained and locked in a truck at night. Since 1997, the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted seven other cases of modern-day slavery.

"As people of faith and conscience, we cannot allow case after case of slavery to continue," said the Rev. Noelle Damico, national coordinator of the PC(USA)'s Campaign for Fair Food. "We really hope that the press conference and petitions will be a wake-up call to the governor. If some of the largest corporations have agreed to work with the CIW to address slavery, why hasn't the governor?"

Crist has not publicly commented on the situation; in December, Terence McElroy, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services told the Ft. Myers News-Press: "Of course, I say any instance is too many, and any legitimate grower certainly does not engage in that activity (slavery) but you're talking about maybe a case a year."

That response diminishes the seriousness of the problem of modern-day slavery, said Gerardo Reyes, a member of the CIW.

"We cannot take that kind of answer," he said. "Is the silence of the governor a way to show that he's in agreement with what Mr. McElroy is saying? If not, he needs to say something, and more than that – do something."

One person who has been doing something is Sally Rausch, a high school junior in Columbia, SC. At a youth conference in January, Rausch learned about the Campaign for Fair Food and began collecting signatures from her friends and church members at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church. Learning about the injustices being committed in the United States was shocking, she said, adding that the campaign has made her realize that the average person might contribute more to the problem than they know.

"We feel like everything bad happens ‘out there,'" she said. But "everyone eats fast food and everyone's a part of the line of production. Something on the dollar menu may be good for me, but what does it mean for other people?"

The involvement of students and young people is important, Rausch said, adding that her generation represents a large population of people who care about the world.

The support of students and of faith communities has been critical to the CIW, Reyes said. By sending pressure to corporate executives through boycotts and protests, these groups have been fundamental in helping effect change, helping the CIW win ground-breaking agreements with major food corporations to improve wages and address modern-day slavery.

"The Presbyterian Church, it's been also really important, the support," he said.

One congregation that has shown such support is First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, FL. Farm workers have visited the church to talk about their concerns, and some members of the church also traveled to Immokalee, where many seasonal workers live, to see the conditions up close – "a powerful, informative and transformational" experience, said the Rev. Kennedy McGowan.

The church began circulating petitions that led to the CIW's agreement with Burger King and has also gathered signatures for the petition to be presented at the March 9 press conference.

"It's one of those things that's at the core of Christian understanding – you provide a voice, you stand with people who are facing injustice," he said.

Although the workers live in "appalling" and "inhuman" conditions, their dignity, courage and dedication to justice is humbling, McGowan said.

"They're simply looking to receive a fair wage for a hard day's work," he said. "I hope that the governor responds and listens to what these signatures say."

In addition to the petitions, the press conference will include a mistica, a type of theater that uses slow movements and no sound. The performance will be a dramatic re-enactment of the latest slavery case, and is meant to provide viewers with images that will cause them to reflect on the injustices suffered by the farm workers, Reyes said.

As for a meeting with Crist, Reyes said he is hopeful.

"We as a community are not willing to take this kind of abuse anymore," he said. "This is how food is produced in this state and this country. It's time to change what has been the norm in this industry. The society of this country is better than that."

To learn more about the CIW and to download and read the general petition against modern-day slavery, click here. To download or read the petition from the religious community, click here. To learn more about the PC(USA)'s work with the CIW, visit PC(USA)'s Fair Food site: http://www.pcusa.org/fairfood/.

Presbyterian News Service