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Coalition of Immokalee Workers

TODAY'S NEWS Author Miriam Pawel: “The strongest model for farmworkers today is in Florida, where the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has achieved major gains – not through state law but through years of patient, creative organizing that produced a framework to improve wages and working conditi...

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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
November 19, 2024 at 3:45 PM

A Tale of Two Thanksgivings in 2024

... It has perhaps never felt more important to pause, take a breath, and reflect on the meaning of the seasonWith Thanksgiving just over a week away – and initial preparations for the holiday feast already underway in homes across the country – it has perhaps never felt more important to pause, tak…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
November 12, 2024 at 4:36 PM

Exciting new opportunity for expansion of WSR in global seafood supply chains…

... And two key caveats A new scholarly paper by a team of environmental experts proposes the expansion of a model originally designed to protect global fisheries from depletion — known collectively as “Fishery Improvement Projects” (FIPs) — to include the protection of fishers’ human rights in the …
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October 31, 2024 at 2:21 PM

Challenging the Fair Food Nation!: NoVo Foundation pledges $2 million matching donation to fuel expansion of the Fair Food Program and the Worker-driven Social Responsibility Model

“CIW has challenged the food industry..."NoVo Foundation pledges $2 million matching donation to fuel national, international expansion of the Fair Food Program and growth of the Worker-driven Social Responsibility Model  Peter Buffett, Co-President, NoVo Foundation: “The importance of this pivotal …
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October 28, 2024 at 2:53 PM

“A true force of nature”: CIW pays tribute to Ethel Kennedy at extraordinary memorial ceremony in Washington, DC

"Among her many loves, Ethel Kennedy… loved people… who do hard work."CIW’s Lucas Benitez: “My colleagues and I are here today from Florida… in the company of so many distinguished champions of this great democracy, because Mrs. Kennedy knew it takes all of us, from farmworkers to presidents, to def…
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October 18, 2024 at 3:02 PM

From farmworkers to fishermen: Lessons from US produce fields on protecting human rights on the high seas

“There are no shortcuts in WSR." Greg Asbed, CIW, on Worker-driven Social Responsibility: “This new paradigm for human rights protection has established an unparalleled track record of success for more than a decade and has proven, in the process, that protecting workers’ fundamental human rights in…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
October 14, 2024 at 2:39 PM

‘A true lifeline’: How the CIW’s radio station helps keep Immokalee safe in times of disaster

"The farmworker community here in Immokalee has demonstrated its resilience time and time again in the face of disaster.”Miami Herald on the CIW’s Radio Conciencia: “Many residents appreciate getting their news directly from neighbors and community members they trust; the medium is familiar to them …
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September 26, 2024 at 2:02 PM

Cincinnati action update! AND: 6 ways to call on Kroger to join the Fair Food Program

We need your help to bring Kroger into the Program! As Hurricane Helene gathers strength in the Gulf on its way to becoming Hurricane Helene later this week, we have had to make the difficult decision to scale back our upcoming action in Cincinnati. Weather permitting, our two-day action will now be…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
September 20, 2024 at 2:34 PM

ACTION ALERT! This Sep 27-28, celebrate farmworker families in Cincinnati during Kroger Wellness Festival!

CIW’s renowned puppet Esperanza is heading to Cincinnati!Calling all members of the Fair Food Nation!  Farmworkers and allies will be gathering to celebrate the wellness of farmworker families on the weekend of September 27-28, right outside the headquarters of Kroger in Cincinnati, Ohio!  Where: Kr…
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September 17, 2024 at 3:17 PM

Environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey receives prestigious 2024 Wallenberg Medal, succeeding CIW co-founder Lucas Benitez

We want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Nnimmo Bassey, and wish him the best of luck in his continued efforts! As we continue to witness the dramatic national and international expansion of the Fair Food Program, we want to take a moment to congratulate acclaimed environmental activist Nn…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
September 2, 2024 at 1:17 PM

USA Today marks Labor Day with a CIW Op/Ed: ‘My friend nearly died of dehydration. Farmworkers like us need better protections.’

“The thermometer doesn’t lie."Gerardo Reyes Chavez in USA Today: “The thermometer doesn’t lie. It’s just common sense that we need more protections, not fewer, to keep our state’s essential outdoor workers safe from the dangers of our warming planet.” “While the Fair Food Program is great for worker…
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August 30, 2024 at 2:23 PM

Read the award-winning NPR/WGCU coverage of our 2023 March for Farmworker Freedom!

“They came to America in search of a better life. The work in the agricultural fields of Florida they knew would be tough."Congratulations go out to NPR/WGCU’s Eileen Kelley and Andrea Melendez who recently received the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists’ prestigious 2023 award for best po…
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August 23, 2024 at 3:49 PM

Media Round-Up: Fair Food Program’s life-saving heat protections featured in agricultural press

"Farmworkers cannot wait years for the right to safe working conditions. Action must be taken by civil society and the private sector."Op-ed in Modern Farmer: "Farmworkers cannot wait years for the right to safe working conditions. Action must be taken by civil society and the private sector."  West…
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August 19, 2024 at 2:36 PM

Silence of the Wolves: Bombshell Axios report reveals rampant forced labor in grocery supply chains, Kroger has no comment. Again.

Axios: “The bottom line: Food retailers, which could require their suppliers to join programs like the Fair Food Program or Milk with Dignity, are key to ending widespread forced labor.”Axios: “The bottom line: Food retailers, which could require their suppliers to join programs like the Fair Food P…
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August 15, 2024 at 3:44 PM

Worker-driven Social Responsibility cited by US State Department as a promising practice in improving labor conditions

"Bloomia’s entire cut-flower supply chain... will now be certified for human rights protections by the Fair Food Program..." United States Department of State 2024: “TIP” Report: “Over time, policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders have expanded their thinking to encompass worker-led approach…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
August 9, 2024 at 2:55 PM

The future of Fair Food is in your hands

John,  As this week’s firsthand voices from the fields shows, since the inception of the Fair Food Program over a decade ago in Immokalee, two parallel worlds have existed side-by-side within US agriculture: the world of freedom from abuse on farms under the FFP, and the world of harsh exploitation …
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August 8, 2024 at 3:01 PM

Voices from the field: CIW’s Wilson Pérez on how the FFP is tackling wage theft

John,   Being paid for the work one does should be a simple and straightforward process. But unfortunately in US agriculture and other low-wage industries, wage theft is an endemic problem that costs a sum total of about $50 billion a year. Worse yet, there are precious few avenues available to far…
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August 7, 2024 at 2:38 PM

Voices from the field: CIW’s Silvia Pérez reflects on the FFP’s anti-harassment protections

John,  The Fair Food Program’s historic expansion — from 10 states to 23 following the USDA’s endorsement of the FFP as the highest form of worker protection in the US agricultural industry earlier this year — represents not only an achievement in safeguarding farmworkers from the worst effects of …
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August 6, 2024 at 2:16 PM

Voices from the field: The CIW’s Cruz Salucio on the life-saving impact of the FFP in the age of accelerating climate change

John,  Climate change represents one of the biggest threats to farmworkers’ safety today, and with each year that passes, that threat only grows more dangerous. In many ways, farmworkers represent the canary in the coalmine for climate change’s impact on humanity, as studies show that agricultural …
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
August 5, 2024 at 2:04 PM

The Fair Food Program is growing dramatically. We need your help to sustain our expansion.

John,  Every day, over two million farmworkers labor in U.S. fields to harvest the food we eat.  Whether it is a 4th of July cookout or a Wednesday family dinner, we all rely — every single day — on the back-breaking work of farmworkers, who far too often are forced to endure dangerous, and harshly…
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August 1, 2024 at 3:08 PM

Civil Eats: Farmworkers Push Kroger’s Shareholders for Heat and Labor Protections

“The stakes of a just transition for Kroger are nothing less than life or death for the farmworkers who put food on all our tables.” Mary Beth Gallagher, Domini Impact Investments: “We will continue to encourage Kroger to join the Fair Food Program, because we think it will deliver meaningful human …
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July 22, 2024 at 3:02 PM

Media round-up: Fair Food Program’s heat stress protections resonate across the US

"I think it’s been amazingly significant for those workers." This summer, like so many now before it, has brought deadly heat across much of the world. And with the rising heat and climate instability comes compounding dangers for all those who must work outdoors, including farmworkers.  Not only do…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
July 17, 2024 at 2:46 PM

Watch: TED Talk sheds light on the unlikely partnership at the heart of the Fair Food Program

“From tomatoes to flowers to seafood we’ve created the basis for real and sustainable change.” Jon Esformes, CEO of Sunripe Certified Brands: “In 2010 when we partnered there were a lot of folks who said we were crazy. And maybe we were… I mean farmers and farmworkers coming together to ensure a fa…
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July 12, 2024 at 2:10 PM

Vox takes a deep dive into the Fair Food Program, Worker-driven Social Responsibility’s global rise

“For us, [the Fair Food Program] was a light.” Vox: “A binding contract is crucial to worker-driven social responsibility, a sharp contrast to those toothless corporate social responsibility initiatives.”  Lucas Benitez, farmworker and co-founder of the CIW: “With [worker-driven social responsibili…
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June 25, 2024 at 3:15 PM

“Benefits for all:” Fair Food Program and participating grower Rancho Durazno featured in Colorado press

“[The Fair Food Program is]... one of the few with real teeth that holds farmers and buyers accountable.” Gwen Cameron, owner of Rancho Durazno: “[The Fair Food Program is] not the only social responsibility certification out there for farm workers, but one of the few with real teeth that holds farm…
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June 19, 2024 at 1:45 PM

CIW, Fair Food Program join Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, FFP Participating Farmers for Announcement of Historic Program!

“The USDA took a similar approach (to the Fair Food Program)..." Fair Food Program set to expand to 27 more farms, 13 more states with support from United States Department of Agriculture  USDA announcement marks latest instance of CIW/FFP innovations adopted a policy by the public sector  USDA Secr…
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June 13, 2024 at 4:10 PM

A unique TED Talk highlights the life-saving protections of the Fair Food Program

"Within a few months the evidence was clear that the program worked and the culture in our farms was changing for the better.” Gerardo Reyes Chavez, CIW: “To protect workers and give the program’s human rights standards real teeth, the FPP harnessed buyers ’massive market power to reward growers who…
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June 11, 2024 at 3:01 PM

How Worker-driven Social Responsibility is ushering in a new day of human rights in the global economy

"Workers everywhere deserve safety, dignity, and a fair wage: with the emergence of WSR, they now have a novel tool to empower themselves," CIW: “The promise of Worker-driven Social Responsibility – a model by which workers are able to define and enforce their own rights – is to modernize workers’ h…
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May 21, 2024 at 4:25 PM

The CIW mourns those farmworkers killed in the May 14 bus crash, calls for greater protections for all farmworkers

“Companies have that responsibility to have safe transportation..."Lucas Benitez, CIW: “It hurts to think about how their families have yet to learn about this, that their loved ones cannot come home to their country and hug their children, their spouses, their parents.”  At 6:30 in the morning of T…
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May 6, 2024 at 2:18 PM

The making of Esperanza, a 15 foot animated puppet championing the hopes of farmworkers

Esperanza is also the latest in a long tradition of larger-than-life puppets and papier mache works of art to enrich and enliven the demands of farmworkers. It has been nearly two months since the debut of Esperanza – a 15 foot animated farmworker puppet, who as her name reveals, embodies the hopes …
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
April 22, 2024 at 2:41 PM

“Food, Inc. 2”, featuring the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, is officially out in theaters and on streaming platforms!

"The time for Worker-driven Social Responsibility has come.”Gerardo Reyes Chavez, farmworker and senior staff member of the CIW, speaking on a panel at the DC screening of “Food, Inc. 2:” “Workers in other parts of the US and the globe today want to replicate the protections we have created for work…
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April 15, 2024 at 2:43 PM

Fair Food Program, Worker-driven Social Responsibility hailed in new analysis of DOL study on worker voice

"The Fair Food Standards Council, the Bangladesh Accord, the Lesotho Agreements, and the Dindigul Agreement are all examples of worker-driven social responsibility," Thea Lee, Department of Labor’s deputy undersecretary for international affairs on the original Department of Labor report: “We commis…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
April 5, 2024 at 2:32 PM

MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving gives $2 million to fuel expansion of Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Fair Food Program

"We thank her very much for having received [the grant], which gives us the opportunity to expand."Lupe Gonzalo, farmworker and CIW staff member: “Continuing to expand is quite urgent. It’s quite important because only this path of the Fair Food Program has made a difference for thousands of workers…
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April 2, 2024 at 3:17 PM

New US Dept of Labor Report: Worker-driven Social Responsibility gives critical voice to workers, deepens democracy

"With the FFP, the CIW combines its participatory practice with a supply chain strategy. " US Dept of Labor Report: “The FFP has raised compensation, reduced health and safety risks, and eliminated forced labor, child labor, and gender-based violence for approximately 30,000 workers at 20 employers …
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March 29, 2024 at 2:55 PM

Breaking: CIW to join with Spanish farmworkers in exploration of Worker-driven Social Responsibility in Spanish Produce Industry

“When worker organizations lead the creation, design and implementation of solutions, the results are truly transformative." Lucas Benitez, CIW co-founder: “As workers ourselves – the men and women who built this new model and experienced this remarkable change – we are excited to continue the dialo…
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March 27, 2024 at 6:51 PM

“Food, Inc. 2,” the major new documentary featuring the CIW and the Fair Food Program, is coming to a city near you!

The story of the CIW’s struggle is brilliantly told by the CIW’s own Gerardo Reyes Chavez... The much-anticipated sequel to the Oscar-nominated 2008 documentary “Food, Inc.” will hold a nationwide "sneak preview" at 100 theaters across the US on April 9th, ahead of its national theatrical and digita…
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March 22, 2024 at 2:38 PM

Civil Eats: the Fair Food Program offers the strongest, legally-binding protocols to protect workers when politicians fall short

“We see this as the blueprint for workers in other realities..." Gerardo Reyes Chávez, CIW, in Civil Eats: “[Farmworkers in the FFP] don’t feel pressure to keep working under conditions that are placing their lives and their health at risk. And that’s fundamentally different from what happens outsi…
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March 19, 2024 at 2:38 PM

Media round-up of the Farmworker Freedom Festival’s Day 3 Pilgrimage of Hope

“It was an emotional thing to see and to participate in, as each worker put their bandana on this offering.” Lupe Gonzalo, CIW: “We wanted as workers to leave the place where we live and the place where we work, and come here to the place Nelson Peltz lives, to show him our faces as humans, and in…
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March 13, 2024 at 5:29 PM

Day 3 of the Farmworker Freedom Festival in Palm Beach: Hope comes home...

"With these bandanas, we are creating a circle of hope.” Check out the must-see video from Day 3! CIW’s Nely Rodriguez (VIDEO): “The bandana doesn’t only represent protection, but for many women it also represents sexual harassment, abuse, and violence, and those same bandanas hold for many of us ou…
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March 11, 2024 at 7:17 PM

Day 2 of Farmworker Freedom Festival: Consciousness + CULTURE = Change!

"Humanity is first. And as long as we can believe and understand that part, we’ll be together for the long haul." Longtime member of CIW family and artist/activist extraordinaire, Olmeca, after receiving first-ever CIW Artist of Conscience Award: “CIW doesn’t just see the long-road, CIW is the lon…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
March 9, 2024 at 12:55 PM

Farmworker Freedom Festival lands in the heart of Palm Beach with message of “Esperanza” for Fair Food future!

“As farmworkers, it is important to celebrate how far we have come thanks to the Fair Food Program," Day One of Farmworker Freedom Festival a big hit in the streets of historic Palm Beach.  Miami Herald: “Her name is Esperanza, or hope, because we hope for a better world,” said Lupe Gonzalo, a lead…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
March 6, 2024 at 4:04 PM

4 Ways to support the upcoming Farmworker Freedom Festival!

Immokalee is buzzing with preparations for this festival, but we can’t do it alone. 1) COME TO THE FESTIVAL! If you’re in Florida, register today to join farmworkers and their allies for three days of celebrating farmworkers’ human rights and the Fair Food Program 2) DONATE: If you’re unable to par…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
February 28, 2024 at 3:21 PM

Release: First-ever Farmworker Freedom Festival to celebrate human rights gains of the Fair Food Program, call on corporate holdout Wendy’s to join

"As farmworkers, it is important to celebrate how far we have come thanks to the Fair Food Program..." A 3-day celebration of farmworker culture and fundamental human rights featuring the CIW’s mobile Modern-day Slavery Museum, a benefit concert, and original theater and art, including a two-story …
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February 19, 2024 at 3:48 PM

Washington Post heralds Fair Food Program’s groundbreaking heat illness prevention standards!

"These are the strongest set of workplace heat protections in the United States." Washington Post, “These farmworkers created America’s strongest workplace heat rules,” 2/17/24:  * “Leonel Pérez remembers when conditions on tomato farms were very different. He started picking tomatoes when he was 20…
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February 14, 2024 at 4:01 PM

Support the Farmworker Freedom Festival today!

We need your help to make the Farmworker Freedom Festival a success! “There is a huge difference now since we have started this season, the conditions here are really improving. For example, the supervisors used to get angry, and now they behave respectfully towards us [the workers]. Now we can mak…
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February 8, 2024 at 4:08 PM

Compass Group and Foodbuy visit Immokalee as the Fair Food Program’s rapid expansion continues

"Compass Group actively supports Fair Food Program in their goal to expand certification to more growers across the industry. "“As a long-standing participating buyer in the Fair Food Program since 2009, Compass Group actively supports Fair Food Program in their goal to expand certification to more …
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
February 1, 2024 at 6:18 PM

Watch CIW Co-Founder Lucas Benitez speak on human rights revolution that began in Immokalee

“We needed to create a new form of power.“ CIW’s Lucas Benitez: “I arrived ready to go into the field and to perform that labor, but what I was not prepared for was facing constant violations of my human rights in the process.”  “We, as workers, were able to create real consequences where before th…
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January 30, 2024 at 7:26 PM

Read how farmworkers launched the historic Fair Food Program in new Food, Inc. 2 Book!

Newly released book — including chapters from Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan, and Senator Cory Booker — to accompany spring release of sequel to Oscar-nominated, Emmy Award-winning documentary Food, Inc. Newly released book — including chapters from Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan, and Senator Cory B…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
January 23, 2024 at 1:00 PM

Grocery giant and Fair Food holdout Kroger linked to yet another modern slavery ring

“As long as there aren’t protections for workers, and workers are afraid to speak up, there are most likely going to be cases of forced labor.” Investigation from The Lever: “Multibillion-dollar retail giant Kroger Company defended its proposed takeover of rival Albertsons Companies, Inc. by highli…
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January 17, 2024 at 4:11 PM

Save the Date! Farmworker Freedom Festival – March 8-10 in Palm Beach, FL

The first-ever Farmworker Freedom Festival will take place in the mansion-lined streets of Palm Beach What:  A 3-day celebration of farmworkers’ human rights featuring the CIW’s mobile Modern-day Slavery Museum, a benefit concert, and original farmworker theater and art, including a two-story tall,…
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  Coalition of Immokalee Workers · [email protected]
January 11, 2024 at 3:45 PM

With funding secured and key partners onboard, WSR pilot to protect and empower UK fishers readies for launch!

"It is important that the welfare and well-being of all crew operating on UK fishing vessels is protected to the highest standards possible..." Financial Times: “The scheme gives workers a key role in establishing, monitoring and enforcing their own employment rights.” “Unlike many voluntary corpora…
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