ENDING MODERN DAY SLAVERY IN FLORIDA"S TOMATO FIELDS
--SUPERS-- :40-:48 Laura Germino Coalition of Immokalee Workers 1:05-1:09 Laura Germino Coalition of Immokalee Workers 1:49-1:53 Laura Germino Coalition of Immokalee Workers 2:32-2:35 Laura Germino Coalition of Immokalee Workers 3:32-3:43 Laura Safer Espinoza Fair Food Standards Council 4:19-4:26 Carlos Hernandez Migrant Farmworker --LEAD IN-- ONE ORGANIZATION IS CHANGING THE LIVES OF MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE U-S BY PROTECTING THEM FROM FORCED LABOR. ACTIVISTS AND FARM WORKERS IN FLORIDA TEAMED UP TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST MODERN DAY SLAVERY. HERE"S AMARA WALKER WITH A C-N-N FREEDOM PROJECT REPORT. --REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS-- IMMOKALEE, FLORIDA - HOT, HUMID, AND HOME TO THOUSANDS OF MIGRANT WORKERS WHO BOARD BUSES EARLY EVERY MORNING, BOUND FOR TOMATO FARMS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE REGION. IMMOKALEE IS THE EPICENTER OF TOMATO PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES. FLORIDA PRODUCES 90-PERCENT OF THE COUNTRY"S WINTER TOMATOES. IT ALSO USED TO BE GROUND-ZERO FOR MODERN SLAVERY IN AGRICULTURE. Laura Germino, Coalition of Immokalee Workers: "We found out that workers were being held by armed guards, prevented from leaving, pistol whipped, some sexually assaulted." LAURA GERMINO IS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS - OR CIW - A GRASSROOTS NON-PROFIT THAT BEGAN IN 1993 TO IMPROVE WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS OF MIGRANT FARMWORKERS. Laura Germino, Coalition of Immokalee Workers: "Initially it was not an anti-slavery organization or anti-human trafficking organization. Back in the early "90"s, that wasn"t even a phrase that was being used or a concept at the time. But in the course of our outreach, in the course of our work, we began to come across situations where workers were being held against their will." SINCE THEN, THE CIW"S ANTI-SLAVERY PROGRAM HAS UNCOVERED, AND HELPED THE U.S. GOVERNMENT PROSECUTE, SEVERAL HORRIFIC CASES OF FORCED LABOR ON TOMATO FARMS. IN ONE OF THOSE CASES, JUST 10 YEARS AGO, FARMWORKERS WERE LOCKED INSIDE A TRUCK AT NIGHT. Laura Germino, Coalition of Immokalee Workers: "It was a dozen workers about, housed in a windowless box truck and forced to be in there at night, sleep in there at night, and use the bathroom in there at night, one of them held out his hands and you could see the marks from the chains which his wrists had been chained with." THAT CASE WAS SO SHOCKING, CIW DECIDED TO BUY A BOX TRUCK THAT WAS THE EXACT MAKE AND MODEL AS THE ONE USED IN THE CASE - AND TURN IT INTO A MOBILE MUSEUM, HIGHLIGHTING OTHER CASES OF FORCED LABOR FROM THE PAST 20 YEARS. TODAY, THE CIW HAS A STAFF OF 17 PEOPLE, NEARLY ALL OF THEM FORMER MIGRANT FARMWORKERS THEMSELVES. AND THEIR FOCUS IS NO LONGER UNCOVERING CASES OF SLAVERY. IT"S PREVENTING IT FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE. Laura Germino, Coalition of Immokalee Workers: "Forced labor has been virtually eradicated and if it were to take root it would be identified and dealt with really quickly." THEY DO THAT THROUGH AN INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE CALLED THE FAIR FOOD PROGRAM. PARTICIPATING GROWERS ALLOW CIW STAFF TO COME ONTO THEIR FARMS AND HOLD MANDATORY EDUCATION SESSIONS FOR ALL WORKERS. THEY"RE GIVEN BOOKLETS THAT OUTLINE THEIR RIGHTS AND A HOTLINE TO CALL IF THEY EXPERIENCE VIOLATIONS. THE GROWERS ALSO AGREE TO REGULAR 3RD PARTY INSPECTIONS OF THEIR FARMS. A TEAM OF AUDITORS SPEAKS CONFIDENTIALLY WITH AT LEAST 50-PERCENT OF WORKERS TO ENSURE THEIR RIGHTS ARE BEING RESPECTED. LAURA SAFER ESPINOZA IS A FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SHE NOW SPENDS HER RETIREMENT IN FLORIDA, RUNNING THE FAIR FOOD STANDARDS COUNCIL, WHICH OVERSEES THE AUDITS. Laura Safer Espinoza, Fair Food Standards Council: "Places that were called ground zero for modern day slavery by federal prosecutors a few years ago are now cited by national and international human rights experts as the best work environment in US agriculture." AND THERE ARE REAL MARKET CONSEQUENCES AT THE TOP OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN IF VIOLATIONS ARE FOUND. THAT"S BECAUSE MANY OF THE LARGEST BUYERS OF TOMATOES HAVE ALSO JOINED THE PROGRAM, AGREEING TO PURCHASE TOMATOES ONLY FROM FARMS THAT ARE PART OF THE AGREEMENT. THE FAIR FOOD PROGRAM STARTED IN FLORIDA, AND NOW COVERS SEVEN STATES IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE U.S. CARLOS HERNANDEZ SPENDS THE TOMATO GROWING SEASON IN FLORIDA. IN THE OFF-SEASON, HE TRAVELS TO THE WESTERN U.S. - WHERE HE SAYS IT"S MUCH DIFFERENT. Carlos Hernandez: "Sometimes you want to be able to stop for a few minutes to catch your breath, but the supervisors are always at your throat, threatening to fire you if you stop only to take a short break. Well, that doesn"t happen here. There"s different protections and you work more comfortably in this environment" Laura Safer Espinoza, Fair Food Standards Council: "The most frustrating moments are when we get calls on our hotline when workers go to other crops in other states. Because when we get calls from outside the Fair Food Program, it is heartbreaking." THERE ARE ROUGHLY 30-THOUSAND PEOPLE CURRENTLY WORKING ON FAIR FOOD PROGRAM FARMS, AND RECEIVING ALL THE PROTECTIONS AND BENEFITS OUTLINED IN THE AGREEMENT. BUT THERE"S STILL A LONG WAY TO GO TO BRINGING THE REST OF THE COUNTRY ON BOARD. AMARA WALKER, CNN -----END-----CNN.SCRIPT----- --KEYWORD TAGS-- CNN FREEDOM PROJECT FLORIDA FORCED LABOR FARMS AGRICULTURE