by James Parks, Mar 26, 2008
Progressive students have been deeply involved in issues of worker justice on campuses and in their communities. So much so, that those involved are forgoing spring break on the beach so they can take action in support of low-wage workers’ struggle for fair wages and freedom to form unions.
The ninth annual week of action, sponsored by the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO and several unions, takes place March 28–April 4 between the anniversaries of César Chávez’s birth and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Many student events will support the struggle of tomato workers, members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), who are reaching out to 1 million people to sign a petition demanding that Burger King and food industry leaders improve wages for workers who pick tomatoes and help eliminate slave labor-like conditions and human rights abuses from Florida’s fields.
At Emory University in Atlanta, students will hear from CIW members and deliver a petition to the manager of the Burger King on campus.
Last April, the CIW won a groundbreaking agreement with McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant chain. The fast-food giant agreed to pay a penny more per pound to workers harvesting tomatoes, which means the workers get 72 cents to 77 cents for every 32-pound container of tomatoes they pick, up from 40 cents to 45 cents.
But Burger King, the world’s second-largest hamburger chain, has rejected working with the CIW to improve farm workers’ wages and conditions. The Emory students plan to deliver a petition to the manager of the campus Burger King.
CIW members also will speak to classes at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and students at Wichita State University will carry buckets of tomatoes across campus to illustrate their solidarity with the workers.
Students at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, will spotlight the need for a decent life for campus workers by releasing their proposal for a living wage for those workers. Meanwhile, students at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., will celebrate the life of César Chávez with a campuswide dinner and fund-raiser.
Last month, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Jobs with Justice (JwJ) launched a contest to encourage students to put their creativity to work for justice.
Students in high school, college and in graduate programs are eligible to submit a one- to three-minute YouTube-style video highlighting the failure of U.S. labor laws to protect workers’ rights and documenting why America needs the Employee Free Choice Act.
Up to 10 finalists will be selected for the “There Ought to be a Law: EFCA” contest, with each receiving a $500 cash prize. The top three winners, who will be picked by online voting, will receive additional prizes of $1,000 for first place and $750 and $500, respectively, for second and third. The contest runs through March 31. Click here for more information and to enter the contest.