ACM Peter Wells joins demonstration for tomato pickers

2/28/2011 - Justice and Witness

Associate Conference Minister Peter Wells joined hundreds of demonstrators on Sunday, Feb. 27, as they marched from Copley Square to a Brigham Circle Stop & Shop, calling on the supermarket chain to improve wages and working conditions for tomato pickers in Florida.

Wells read from a letter signed by numerous religious leaders from a wide variety of faiths, saying in part:

"As faith leaders, we are united in our call for better working conditions and higher pay for Florida farmworkers who labor in the tomato fields. Our traditions emphasize the dignity of every human being, and the responsibility of businesses and society at large to provide all workers with decent wages and working conditions."

"We are especially sensitive to migrant and seasonal workers who are most vulnerable to exploitation and abuse and who receive the least protection from U.S. labor laws. The demands of conscience, of the Godly requirements of justice and compassion, call us to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in its Campaign for Fair Food. "

The Conference's Commission on Mission and Justice had urged church members to attend the protest.

See pictures and read more about the protest on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers website.
Read the entire text of the letter from religious leaders.

Read the Boston Globe coverage of the protest.

You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether of your own people or a stranger…(Deuteronomy 24:14)

Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (James 5:4)

Men shall have the benefit of what they earn, and women shall have the benefit of what they earn. (Holy Qur’an 4:32)