The caption reads: “Farmworkers recognized for their struggle for a fairer country”.
Reporter: “In Immokalee, Florida, a story of perseverance is being written…”

Lucas Benitez, CIW: “Today we are the employees of the farms, we are no longer just the ‘hands’ that harvest the fruits and vegetables.”

Reporter: “The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is included in Time Magazine’s list of 16 people and organizations fighting for a more equal America… The CIW gained national awareness in 2011 when they launched their Fair Food Program, a partnership between food brands and farmworkers to buy food only from growers who respect workers rights. They convinced giants like Walmart and McDonald’s to join, and the model has been replicated in other sectors, like the dairy industry…” 
Reporter: “You have had had to confront real powers, large corporations, including a few that still resist, as is the case with Wendy’s. What has been the hardest challenge you have had to face?”

Lucas Benitez, CIW: “The resistance, the corporate avarice. Often they think more about the money than about the well-being of human beings, of the people who, at the end of the day, generate the profits that they receive.”

Reporter: “In the CIW’s sights today is another enormous corporation, Wendy’s.”

Crowd: “Boycott Wendy’s!”

Reporter: “Another battle in a long war…”

Lucas Benitez, CIW: “There is still a lot of work to do… We’re still in the beginning of our fight, but the most important thing is that we have started down the road…”

Check back soon for more news from the Campaign for Fair Food, including dispatches from New York and Immokalee as the organizing for next week’s big Follow the Money March heats up!
Coalition of Immokalee Workers