TAMPA, FL 33634 www.watermelon.ag the Fall 2016 Official Newsletter of the NATIONAL WATERMELON ASSOCIATION Labor – Labor – Labor. We need labor to do just about anything and everything in our world of farming, packing and shipping. Where we get it, and how, are seemingly daily challenges and an ever-common occurrence. Government regulations and audits add to the mix, and are designed to assure that employers are doing the right things for the work- ers. None of this is new to us, but it is a growing proposition nonetheless. The editorial column attached is written by a friend, peer and colleague – Tom Nassif, President & CEO of Western Growers. Tom has been at the forefront of the labor debate both in Washington and California for many years, and he is (in my opinion) a voice of sensibility and sound advice. His sentiments are spot-on with what is happening today. We will continue to monitor any new developments, and address them accordingly. Stay posted, and enjoy the reading. Responsible Labor By: Tom Nassif – President and CEO, Western Growers Standards In December 2014, the Los Angeles Times published noble aspirations and should be standard practice for all son was quoted in the same article as saying, “I tru- a series of articles exposing widespread labor abuses farmers. I am confident these principles already guide ly believe there are EFI farms that will go union.” on some Mexican farms that supply produce to the the operations of our members wherever they farm. In light of all this activity, the boards of directors of United States. This type of “investigative journalism” Beyond the progressive and strict federal and state PMA and United Fresh have formed a Joint Com- often ignores positive examples that would lessen labor rules governing the employer-employee relation- mittee on Responsible Labor Practices. This com- the dramatic impact of the negative ones, and that ship in the United States, our members recognize that mittee has been tasked with evaluating appropriate may have been the case here. Nonetheless, the Times they are bound by a higher moral law that requires worker treatment across the supply chain, “poten- series was alarming and, for the American companies vigilant attention to worker safety and social justice. tially leading to an industrywide, global approach to that purchase from these farms, it was reminiscent of And they act to ensure both are achieved. responsible labor practices.” similar exposés of mistreatment at foreign factories supplying American retailers everything from clothes Our members have faced a proliferation of third party We recognize the significance of this committee to toys. For activist groups, the stories provided new audits relative to food safety, and while we know these and support PMA and United Fresh in their effort to leverage. are costly and sometimes questionable pursuits, our develop higher standards for foreign producers, where growers have endured. So why not embrace another labor laws and practices are nowhere near as rigor- Not surprisingly, the large retailer and restaurant third party “certifier” like EFI? ous or consistently enforced as in the United States. buyers of fresh produce are seeking to inoculate However, we have some reservations about the process themselves from further criticism. We’ve seen this As I noted earlier, the EFI’s chairman is a UFW vice and its potential outcome for domestic growers. The before. Several years ago, the Coalition of Immokalee president. This cannot be glossed over. The UFW rep- Joint Committee initiative is co-chaired by executives Workers (CIW) emerged in Florida following critical resents a tiny fraction of the farmworkers in the West, from supermarket and foodservice companies; Western media coverage of wages paid to tomato harvesters in and their attempts to force thousands of farmworkers Growers and other grower-centric organizations were that state. With its Fair Food Program, the CIW has into a union the workers didn’t vote for, and would excluded at the outset. I have spoken to Tom Stenzel effectively used protests, boycotts and strikes to moti- have likely decertified but for a union-allied state Ag- and Bryan Silbermann, the presidents of United Fresh vate buyers to adopt their social responsibility agenda. riculture Labor Relations Board, speaks to the reality and PMA, respectively, and I am encouraged by their Retailers like Subway, Whole Foods and Walmart that workers are well-compensated, treated fairly and commitment to take our concerns seriously and to work now impose a human rights-based code of conduct on resent being forced to give up 3 percent of their pay to with us to avoid unintended consequences. Still, it many Florida farms. the union for nothing. The UFW is also in financial seems likely that buyers will ultimately determine the distress, as evidenced by their repeated pleas to the outcome. More recently in the West, the Equitable Food Initia- California Legislature to use taxpayers to bail out their tive (EFI) has emerged as a developer and verifier of union health plan. Along comes the EFI, and a chance All of this is to say we believe organizations represent- labor standards for farmworkers. The organization is for the UFW to employ a top-down strategy to infiltrate ing domestic growers must lead this effort on the do- now moving to entice, or pressure, key supermarket our farms and our employees. mestic front. To that end, the Western Growers Board and restaurant chains to recognize EFI certification as has directed our staff to promotedomestic standards for a condition for their preferred suppliers. To date, nine Don’t believe me? This is from The Bakersfield Cali- responsible labor practices with a particular focus on farms covering 3,000 workers in California, Wash- fornian’s coverage of the UFW’s recent convention: the Western states. Working with other organizations ington, Mexico and Canada are EFI-certified, with 10 “Under what’s called the Equitable Food Initiative, the we will base our standards on a foundation of existing more farms pending certification. At least one major farm worker union is partnering with some of the biggest federal and state regulations, which already create the retailer has so fully embraced EFI that it recently intro- names in the retail food industry to improve the lives of most stringent worker protection system in the world. duced Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farm the people who pick and pack produce consumed here Our intention is to promote a farmworker labor stan- Workers union, to the company’s produce suppliers and abroad.” I added the emphasis to highlight the fact dard reflective of the best practices currently in place with the message that the suppliers would need to that UFW President Arturo Rodriguez intends to go by growers in California and other Western states. We work with the UFW to become EFI-certified. (A UFW global, and plans on leveraging the EFI to do so. believe this approach will most efficiently facilitate vice president is chairman of the EFI executive board.) confidence in the domestic supply chain and provide No one would argue that producing safe food, ensur- While none of the EFI-certified farms are currently buyers (and their critics) with adequate assurances that ing a safe work place and treating workers fairly, are unionized, UFW National Vice President Erik Nichol- their U.S.-grown fresh produce is responsibly sourced. 2 • the Vineline National Watermelon Association • Fall 2016 3 • the Vineline National Watermelon Association • Fall 2016 the National Watermelon Association, Inc.Inc. 190 Fitzgerald Road• Suite #3 • Lakeland, FlFloridaid 3338133813 (863) 619-7575 office • (863) 619-7577 fax www.watermelon.ag The VinelineVineline is publishedp quarterly by the National Watermelon Association, serving our members Nationwide since 1914. 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