Food justice is justice for farmworkers
Farmworkers protests organized by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
The causes of all food injustices in the U.S. have their roots the legacies of chattel slavery. Food deserts resulted from the dispossession of land, segregation, and divestment of former slaves and their descendants. The consolidation of the food systems began with the plantain farming system and was expanded upon through U.S. imperialism - stealing land and forcing pseudo-slavery on other countries. But the most clear legacy of U.S. slavery can still be seen on the massive farms that lure migrant labor from across borders.
The U.S. food system is dependent on cheap - exploited - labor. That is the only way that grocery stores in Virginia can stay stocked, year-round, with California grapes and Florida tomatoes. In fact, the US is so dependent on underpaying for farm labor that the agriculture sector remains the biggest part of the economy without a $7.25 minimum wage. In 40 states agricultural workers lack the full minimum wage protections that are afforded most workers. In Virginia, the statewide minimum wage is $11.00/hour but there is no such protection for agricultural workers (1). Washington state is one of the first states to implement a nearly $15/hr minimum wage but the law includes a specific exemption for hand-harvesting agricultural laborers. (2)
This creates informal economies that are easy targets for exploitation. Many workers are paid in cash, are paid per bucket or bag instead of per hour, and are charged for various goods and services that the landowner may provide. Furthermore, the agricultural visas that are afforded migrant laborers often empower the landowner, their boss, as the sponsor. This creates a threatening power dynamic that constantly reminds the worker that if they don’t fill the landowner’s expectations, they may not only lose their job, but they may lose their home, face deportation, and can end up indebted to the landowner.
Advocacy groups have worked hard for years to address these issues. After documenting what they described as slave-labor conditions in Immokalee, Florida tomatoes fields, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have organized for fair wages from landowners and the massive purchasers of the tomatoes they pick. In 2011, CIW launched the Fair Food Program (FFP), a groundbreaking model for Worker-driven Social Responsibility (WSR) based on a unique partnership among farmworkers, Florida tomato growers, and participating retail buyers, including Subway, Whole Foods, and Walmart. In 2015, the Program expanded into tomatoes in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey, as well as Florida strawberries and peppers. (3)
CIW’s Anti-Slavery Campaign has uncovered, investigated, and assisted in the prosecution of numerous multi-state farm slavery operations across the Southeastern U.S., helping liberate over 1,200 workers held against their will since the early 1990’s. And their work has led to the passage of the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act (3).
The fact remains that there can be no aspirations for food justice when such injustices prop up the food systems. This is why more work is needed in the fight for agricultural worker protections. There must be expanded federal protections and specified state protections that apply to their distinct communities. And the landowners and corporate controllers of the food systems must be held accountable. We must all rise as one towards the goals of justice.
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