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March 24, 2006
Press Contacts: Jeremy Murphy,
212-975-4577,
jeremy.murphy(at)cbs.com
A FAIR HARVEST: RELIGIONS RESPONSE TO IMMIGRATION ISSUES, an
interfaith religion special, will be broadcast, Sunday, April
23 (8:00-8:30 AM, ET; 5:00-5:30 PT) on the CBS Television Network.
This is a special religious program about fresh attempts to
achieve dignity for migrant farm-workers. In the years since
the CBS Reports special, Harvest of Shame (1960) pointed out
the slave wages and deplorable working conditions of migrant
workers, there has been steady but very slow progress to right
the wrongs. Still even today, most farm-workers, mostly foreign-born,
are paid about as much as they earned 30 years ago. On the national
level, attitudes and laws regarding migrants change from one
administration to the next.
The broadcast deals principally with a story in southwest Florida
(Immokalee) about a group of tomato pickers from Central America
and Haiti who organized their own workers' coalition. The Coalition
of Immokalee Workers staged hunger strikes, marches across Florida
and many other unsuccessful attempts at bringing attention to
abuse of workers, very low pay per pound of tomatoes picked and
other issues. When the growers and owners would not ever speak
with them, they hit on the idea of boycotting Taco Bell, which
buys 10 million pounds of winter tomatoes from Florida growers.
Local churches came on board and national church organizations
followed, helping the Coalition to organize "truth marches".
This gave exposure to the workers in settings across the country
to state their case, present a human face, and encourage church
members to avoid buying from Taco Bell. The boycott caused Taco
Bell (owned by the Yum Brands) little financial damage but a
good deal of bad press. They responded with a modest $100,000
a year to be sent to the farmers for distribution to the pickers
who pick Taco Bell tomatoes. This actually doubled their wages
from 1.3 cents a pound to 2.3 cents and brought their two-ton
a day yield to perhaps $90 from the $50 they had earned before.
Their next move was toward McDonalds, which buys perhaps several
times as many pounds of tomatoes from south Florida as Taco Bell;
if it agrees to another penny a pound migrant wages could "skyrocket"-
relatively speaking.
Another story touched upon is the Mt. Olive Pickle Company in
North Carolina. With help from the National Council of Churches,
local councils and the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh cucumber pickers
in the Mt. Olive area succeeded in getting a boost in wages for
the cucumbers they pick for Mt. Olive, which is a national brand
and supplier of pickles.
To discuss these stories and some proposals being made for national
immigration legislation, we hear from Rev. Bob Edgar, of the
National Council of Churches, and Rev. George Anderson, an editor
of the Jesuit magazine, AMERICA, who add their perspectives on
the issues and the need for greater public understanding and
effective legislation.
The migrant farm-workers dignity and fairness issues are vividly
presented by: Robert Mendez and Eucebio Rodriguez, two Guatemalans
in their early 20's, both full-time pickers and part-time union
activists for the Coalition. In addition we hear from Lucas Benitez,
a picker of oranges and tomatoes for 13 years before helping
to found the Coalition. Adding their experience are Father Joe
Clifford, pastor of St. Columbkille Catholic Church (Ft. Myers);
Rev Jim Boler, (Sanibel Is.) UCCC; Rev. Noelle Damico, liaison
between the national Presbyterian Church and the Coalition of
Immokalee Workers; and Bert Perry, of the National Farm-workers
Ministry.
John P. Blessington is the executive producer of the special;
Ted Holmes is the producer. It is produced with the cooperation
of the National Council of Churches, The United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops, and a consortium of Jewish and Muslim organizations.
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