Mark Stansbury in support of the rights of immigrant farm workers

“ Probably 80 percent, during the winter time, of the produce that comes to the United States comes thru those ports and from those farms (in Florida). The Immokalee workers are critical to our food chain and our food security. So we need to respect workers rights. We’re appealing to Kroger, which is a union shop, that they understand that unions are pressed ( to honor workers rights ) as well as the corporations”

The CIW (Coalition of Immokalee Workers) has been organizing since 1993.

“They’ve been on the right side of justice for that many years. So I’m here to support them.”

Stansbury said there is a downside to our food system that involves people in the US and other wealthy nations being able to buy a cornucopia of food for a relatively low price year round and at anytime of the day or night.

“Like they always say, 80 percent of all costs are labor. So, to keep the costs down, you have to keep labor down. That’s the management’s perspective.”

Stansbury said the CIW campaign connects to workers struggles around the world.

“The race to the bottom, starvation politics, or whatever you want to call it , the slave wagery that we’re in to, of only being able to make enough to make it to the next paycheck, (is bad enough but ) there are many people who are not making it to that next paycheck, and the (immigrant ) farm workers are some of them.”

Stansbury said the CIW fight for better wages and working conditions is related to the international trade of fruits and vegetables critics say hurts people in developing nations by making them dependent on global commodities markets for food, instead of using the food they are growing there.

“We’re talking about the trade of vegetables thru out the world coming to our shores when, naturally, they shouldn’t be coming to our shores. We’re talking about the ability of multi-nationals to get corporate food to us at all times. That comes at a cost. We need to reevaluate how we expect our food to be at out tables.”

In addition to CIW, Interfaith Worker Justice is an organization promoting the rights of workers. It involves Christians, Muslims and Jews.

I asked Stansbury if he thinks that organized religious communities are getting more involved with a range of social justice issues.

“If you really look at all the main denominations, their national policies are such that they’re for the Immokalee workers , have been for 20 years. But it’s whether it’s getting down to the pews. And also, now we’re finding these corporations make all these high and mighty rulings ( that seem to be in favor of the Immokalee workers) but is it getting down to the boards? Is it getting down to the desks ? Are they (lower level management and the church rank-and-file) really understanding the drive that these corporations are going on ?”

“It’s historic in its nature. We’ve not been in an economic situation as such w/ such fragility. That’s why I hope Kroger will understand that a penny a pound is not that great of a deal so we don’t have to stay on this campaign that long. They move on and we move on…to justice.”

Stansbury said the CIW campaign fits within the broader labor movement in that United Farm Workers is part of the AFL-CIO. While CIW is engaged in the Kroger campaign, workers at Verizon wireless are working on getting a fair contract.

Stansbury said the labor movement should fight for continued progress for workers.

“We need to move the line forward. We’re not talking about defending the line of social security or safety nets or any of that. We want to move it forward. We want to move the ball down the field. The scrimmage line has to be moved. If we don’t, it’s going to be pushed back on us and we’re going to retreat.”

He said a big issue that few people want to talk about are the wars.

“If we bring an end to that cost, $172 billion would balance every state budget for this year and next.”