Soft fruit requires a soft-touch, which all too often means that a human suffers so you can indulge

The most vulnerable workers in society often get stuck with the triple "D" jobs: difficult, dirty, dangerous. Working in incredible heat in fields from California to Florida to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and greenhouses everywhere in between, human beings are slowly baked so that we can eat cheap food. The pay they receive is low relative to average US or Canadian wages, but it may be sufficient to allow them to remit money back to family -members in poorer countries. 

Lack of status - both legal and social - permit employers to exploit workers: not paying promised wages, not providing safe work conditions nor living spaces, demanding overtime, and in extreme cases taking away workers' passports and forcing them to work as involuntary labour or slaves.

What can we do?

International

Farmworkers sites

• Sin Fronteras organizing - List of projects The http://www.farmworkers.org/
  
• United Farm Workers - Caesar Chavez's original farm worker union.
• Farmworker Movement Documentation Project - fabulous research resource
• Farmworker Justice Program

Canada 

1. Write to your MP
2. Write to your MPP
3. Learn More about the issue:
1. Frontier College - why not volunteer for their labour-teacher program?
   
1. Justicia 4 Migrant Workers
   
2. NAFTA - Labour Side Agreement - NAALC - Commission for Labour Cooperation
   
3. United Farm Workers - Caesar Chavez's original farm worker union.
4. Support a legal advocacy program - Abbotsford Community Services

WWOOF

Lots of first world kids (collegish folk) head off to work voluntarily on organic farms through the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) Program:

The aims of WWOOF are to ... 

 Fair Trade in Fruit and everything...

• Lobbying is important but sometimes the market speaks louder than protest signs
• Organizations like Interrupcion are working to bring fair trade / organic produce to grocery stores near you! Ask for them!
  
• Learn more about fair trade.

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