| In the past couple of years, the activist life of a migrant farm worker has taken a major role. Organizations such as the Migrant Legal Action Plan, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), and Justicia for Migrant Workers in Canada have become active in uniting the farm workers of that area who want to make a better life for themselves and their families. Goals of these groups include plans such as strengthening of anti-slavery laws to punish the farm owners who treat the workers as property or indentured servants, which stemmed from a Florida case where a farmer beat and shot and killed some of his workers for trying to escape, all the while claiming that they were his property. Similarly, workers want better working conditions, water to be provided, and a five minute rest in the shade for people who have been working long hours in the hot sun. |
 |
 |
Recently a triumph for the CIW in Florida happened when a Taco Bell parent company raised the prices that they bought tomatoes off of the workers for by an extra cent per bucket of tomatoes. Though small, this increase in wage is hoped to bring about other changes that these groups are demanding. Activist groups such as these are working hard to change policies, but they are also avid about uniting workers on the basis of cultural values as well. Through groups like the CIW, migrant workers are able to feel connected to a larger cultural base, and thus remember the roots of the heritage that they have had to leave behind. |
