November 2019
NFWM News & Actions
In this issue:
  • Report: CIW's major mobilization in NYC
  • Thanksgiving
  • #Giving Tuesday!
  • Legislative Update
  • NFWM Updates
Report:
CIW's Major Mobilization in NYC
On November 18, 2019, over 500 farm workers and allies, including NFWM, marched in New York City to call on Wendy's to join the Fair Food Program. From a visit by world-famous comic/actor/activist Amy Schumer, to a powerful march of farm workers and their supporters (despite a persistent evening rainstorm!), to a surprise boycott endorsement by presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Twitter, the CIW’s day-long action reverberated in the fabled streets of Manhattan and across the country to millions of supporters.

Wendy’s assurances that working conditions are fine in their greenhouse suppliers’ operations are not holding up against the hard evidence of harsh conditions faced by workers in greenhouses, not to mention the well-documented failures of the superficial auditing companies tasked with protecting workers from widespread labor and safety violations. Farm workers and consumers are not buying it.


If you couldn't attend:
  • Pray: Continue to pray that Wendy's CEO Todd A. Penegor has a change of heart and signs onto the the Fair Food Agreement to bring this worker-driven socially responsible model to their company. 


  • Tell your friends and family to share the message! You can use social media to share about this by posting on Facebook or tweeting: “I pledge to boycott @Wendys until the final fast food holdout joins @FairFoodProgram! bit.ly/boycott-wendys


Let Wendy's hear us,
both in NYC and around the country! 

#boycottwendys
NFWM Executive Director, Julie Taylor, is with NFWM board member Andrew Kang Bartlett. Also in attendance, board member David Wildman.
This Thanksgiving: Give Thanks!
Thanksgiving is the biggest food holiday in the U.S. Please give thanks for the farm workers who bring us our food; on this day and every day.

If you're still shopping, make sure you look for the EFI label. And check out the "America's Bounty" Thanksgiving podcast from ABC News:

#Giving Tuesday!
#Giving Tuesday is next week, and please support NFWM!


On Tuesday, December 3, please join others around the world in celebrating generosity and giving to those in need.
Support the good work of NFWM by donating online today!

And make sure to post and share, too!
Legislative Update:
FARM WORKFORCE MODERNIZATION ACT 2019

Recently a new bill was introduced in the House, Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019 that combines citizenship for farm workers and their families with regulatory changes to the H2A Guestworker visa program.  The UFW, UFW Foundation, and Farmworker Justice helped to negotiate this legislation over many months.  The bill was introduced with bi-partisan support so is much more likely to be considered in the current Congress and we are grateful for the work that got it this far. We are also excited for the possibility of a path to citizenship for farm workers and their families.
 
Some of our farm worker partners are concerned about parts of this legislation that are challenging to the lives of farm workers like wages, housing and the inclusion of e-verify. We are still assessing the legislation and what negotiations might improve it for the benefit of all farm workers. Clearly we want to support a path to citizenship for farm workers and improvements to the Guestworker program. The focus of NFWM is to educate, equip and mobilize and we are committed to doing that in every way possible. Look for updates through our e-news, Facebook postings and on the website. And to read more, http://nfwm.org/news/legislative-update/

NFWM Updates
Welcome, Emily!

We are proud to welcome Emily Miller as the Director of Communications!

With over 15 years of experience in for-profit and non-profit, religious and secular communications, Emily brings a wealth of experience to the Ministry. She has a B.A. in Foreign Policy from the University of Virginia and has been Adjunct Faculty for Pace University’s Graduate Department of Publishing and the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Department of Communication Design. Some of her previous positions include Associate General Secretary for Communications and Development for Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, and Creative Director for United Methodist Women.  And Emily serves now and has served on the board of the Appalachia Service Project for 10 years.

As NFWM seeks to support farm worker campaigns through electronic organizing and influencing consumers to support boycotts via social media campaigns, Emily’s experience will bring insight and direction for creating greater impact. Her success in electronic fundraising will give NFWM greater visibility and exposure to new funding sources. Let’s welcome Emily Miller to the NFWM staff team.

To reach Emily, please email communications@nfwm.org.
Job Opportunity:
The Catholic Labor Network and the National Farm Worker Ministry are planning a joint outreach campaign to cultivate Catholic support for farm labor causes. To do so, we seek a contract project coordinator to work on the campaign up to 10 hours per week. The ideal candidate is a bilingual practicing Catholic with experience in farm worker solidarity campaigns and who is located in North Carolina, California or Florida. (The Catholic Labor Network will reimburse meeting and travel expenses incurred in the campaign.) Please share this notice with friends and colleagues who might be a good fit for this work!

Interested candidates should submit resumes and cover letters to jtaylor@nfwm.org.
NFWM Supports These Boycotts led by our Farm Worker Partners.
We hope you will, too!
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National Farm Worker Ministry | 919.807.8707 | nfwm@nfwm.org | nfwm.org