Florida farmworkers set heat-safety standards in the US

Farmworkers in the Fair Food Program, the award-winning initiative of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers based in southwest Florida, have negotiated heat-safety rules on FFP farms that are judged to be the best in American agriculture. Under this scheme, “every worker takes a 10-minute break every two hours during the hottest part of the year. When they feel the effects of heat illness coming on, they have the right to cool down in the shade”. Farm owners “must provide clean water, shaded rest areas and nearby bathrooms for all of its workers”. If FFP farms don’t follow these regulations and other fair labour standards, they risk losing access to sell their tomatoes, flowers and other produce to the 14 biggest food buyers, including McDonald’s, Walmart, and Whole Foods, that are FFP members. The latest in a long line of social-justice innovations fostered by CIW over the past 30 years, the new rules are discussed in a recent feature article in the Washington Post. Click HERE to read the full article