Slavery in the News
September 10, 2008 Success! Our friends in the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) have reached a landmark agreement with Whole Foods to "work in partnership to help improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers"! This is CIW's first agreement with a supermarket, following on successful lobbying efforts with Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Burger King.
Whole Foods will work to increase tomato worker wages by paying an extra penny per pound for Florida tomatoes. The company also is investigating creating a program for domestic purchases similar to its current Whole Trade Guarantee program for developing countries. Whole Trade Guarantee is independently verified by a third-party and ensures that producers and laborers are paid a fair price while working in safe and healthy conditions. The goal is to purchase Florida tomatoes from growers that will implement a similar program.
Full press release: www.interfaithact.org/wholefoodsciw
July 16, 2008 South Africa considers legalizing prostitution for the 2010 World Cup--BBC News
June 27, 2008 Wealthy New York woman sentenced to 11 years for keeping two Indonesian women as slaves--BBC News