Two hot news items: USA Today article on Rising Health Care Costs put Focus on Illegal Immigrants and [CIW News] Sen. condemns attacks on human dignity infields, calls for hearings!

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues,

Here are two articles of interest related to agricultural workers.

The first is a link to today's article in the USA Today related to health care costs and illegal immigrants, but the first sentence is about farmworkers....

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-immigrant-healthcare_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

The second is an article and a link to the Coalition of Imokalee Workers' web site with a focus on Senator ' recent visit with Schlosser to Imokalee.

Thanks to our colleagues Weinman and Ruiz for this info.

Bobbi

From: announce-bounces+jruiz=nachc.com@... [mailto:announce-bounces+jruiz=nachc.com@...] On Behalf Of Coalition of Immokalee WorkersSent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 10:44 AMannounce@...Subject: [CIW News] Sen. condemns "attacks on human dignity" in fields, calls for hearings!

Go to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers website for a complete report from Senator ' exciting visit: http://www.ciw-online.org

At the press conference concluding his two-day visit to the CIW -- which came just one day after a federal grand jury indicted six people in Immokalee for their part in what US Attorney Doug Molloy called "slavery, plain and simple" -- Senator Bernie declared:

"The headline in today’s newspaper says all that has to be said. In the year 2008, in the United States of America, slavery exists. Human beings are being forced to work against their will, are being beaten, are being denied their most basic freedoms. This should not be happening in the United States in 2008. This exploitation must end."

In his powerful speech, Senator , accompanied by best-selling author Schlosser, condemned Burger King and the private equity firms that are its major shareholders for their role in profiting from farmworker poverty, saying the American

people:

"... need to understand why it is that huge multi-national corporations that make billions in profits are unable to pay people who supply the products they use a living wage. They need to know why financial institutions like Goldman-Sachs and others, who have major holdings in companies like Burger King, are not applying the proper moral leverage to bring about the necessary changes.

Senator also had strong words for the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, whose resistance to fair wages and working conditions for farmworkers has temporarily stopped the progress initiated with the CIW's agreements with Yum Brands and Mc's.

Noting that the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange executive Reggie Brown referred to the one-cent pay raise established in those agreements as “pretty much near un-American,” noted: “Well, let me tell you what’s un-American. Making workers pick nearly two and a half tons of tomatoes just so they can earn the minimum wage is un-American. Treating workers like slaves is un-American. Not providing decent housing for workers is un-American. Allowing workers to earn a decent living and treating workers with respect is not un-American. Indeed, it is what America is supposed to be about.”

Senator also released two powerful letters, signed by four US senators (Sen. Kennedy, Sen. Durbin, Sen. Brown, and Sen. ), and called for hearings into the question of "how slavery can take place in the year 2008."

You can see a video of Senator ' speech, as well as a round-up of all the press from the Senator's visit, at the CIW website: http://www.ciw-online.org .

Stay tuned, there is certainly more to come from this new front in the battle for Fair Food!

Thanks - Coalition of Immokalee Workers