“… they struck a deal with growers to raise workers' pay and to create an industry code of conduct, a health and safety program and a system to resolve worker complaints.”
While a penny a pound may not sound a lot, because of the huge volume of tomatoes picked by these workers, the annual change is meaningful:
“For workers who lug two tons or more of tomatoes a day, a penny raise might bring a $10,000 yearly income to $17,000. A raise from abject to survivable poverty for 30,000 tomato pickers is a victory to welcome, but not rest upon.”
The campaign was initially aimed at the tomato growers, who “insisted they could not afford it,” but, ultimately, was successful because it shifted emphasis to the tomato buyers:
“The coalition tried the usual tactics — hunger strikes, marches, boycotts directed at the growers. But they also pressed major tomato buyers to pay for the raises themselves, by accepting a penny-per-pound surcharge on their purchases. That worked, first with Taco Bell, then McDonald’s, then a long list of other companies in the fast-food and food-service industries.”
The reluctance of the fast-food restaurants Taco Bell and McDonald’s (and others) to agree to this pay raise and, in particular, the organized resistance of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange demonstrates how far some organizations have to go to integrate CSR throughout operations. It also shows the value of social pressure on firms to act, even if it sometimes takes 15 years to realize the desired result.
Take care
David
Instructor Teaching Site: http://www.sagepub.com/strategiccsr/
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One Penny More a Pound
349 words
Editorial
4 December 2010
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
22
