Tomatoes: Unionization of Tomato Workers

In 1996, the migrant workers formed the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), which attempted to change working and living conditions and pay for tomato pickers. They were opposed by the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, an industry lobby group whose members control 90 percent of the winter tomato crop. To gain visibility for the plight of the workers, in 2001 the CIW called for a national boycott of Taco Bell, one of the largest buyers of winter tomatoes. College, high school, and religious groups, including the National Council of Churches, joined the boycott against Taco Bell. In 2005, Taco Bell agreed to pay one cent more per pound for its tomatoes, provided that the money went to improving working and living conditions of the workers.