Pretty awful, though I don't think growing our own will stop the abuses. Too many people still buy those grocery store tomatoes. Wish there were some way to help those workers.

You can, spread the word... email people you know (knowledge is power). Thank you, mulio, for providing this information.

Wow...that is awful...

anney---
There is...........depending on the level we exert our patriotism.
We fight daily on the issue of 1099 misclassification...............Where a general contractor will contract workers as independent sub-contractors. The majority of these workers will be illegal aliens, forced to work long dangerous hrs. w/ no protection from the un scrupulous general contractor.

Write your Congress members at Congress.org with your concerns. America's still here folks, It works no matter what you see all around us now,...........as long as people use the rights we have ;)

muliok, Thanks for reminding us all we do not have to patronize certain vendors and growers, and that small town traditions, like growing tomatoes, right in your own back yard is still alive and well!

>> Lucas, a Guatemalan in his thirties, had slipped across the border... It's hard to have sympathy for illegal immigrants.

Mike

I've lost my idealism. I am sick of contacting my congressman and other legislators hundreds of times for the last ten years! Nothing ever moves on issues as a result.

Instead, what would really do it would be lawsuits against tomato growers who are so horribly abusing their employees, with enough damages to put them out of business. Gotta play hardball in many cases.

This kind of abuse is a risk in all migrant farmer operations and is very common. But lawsuits just aren't likely when those being abused are in the US illegally.

Don't give up anney..................Flawed as it is, it still is the best form of governace in the free world.

Floridians can e-mail the elected and ask for a return answer. Even in form letter format I still get a sense , or not, of bs.

Perhaps a twenty one mule team to Guatemaula? Loaded with Americans to get those maters in ?

Too many people still buy those grocery store tomatoes

Proof, or at least good evidence, that too many people don't have good taste in food. When I can't get homegrown tomatoes, I don't eat tomatoes till my plants' fruit ripen in June.

Kind of sick how they treat the workers. Even if they are illegal immigrants, they shouldn't get treatment as bad as slavery..

It's hard to have sympathy for illegal immigrants.

I suspect Native Americans share your sympathy.

Hahaha!!!!

"It's hard to have sympathy for illegal immigrants."

Yeah....it's hard to have sympathy for human beings looking to make a better life for themselves and their families.

*rolls eyes*

No one wants to see people subjected to those conditions. However, its not the growers fault, nor the fault of the grocery chains and fast food firms and certainly not Lucas' fault. The root cause falls on the unwilligness of an inept congress to protect our borders and impliment effective immigration legislation. And, also falls on the shoulders of the american people who keep sending these 'go with the flow' fools back to Washington. If you want to write your representative, go ahead, but tell him/her to address the core issue. Sorry for blowing off but, let's put the blame where it belongs.

Oh, happy gardening

This is turning into a political discussion that is better suited for the "Hot Topics" forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hot Topics

Thank you for sharing the story - enjoy reading other's comments about the story whether it be in 'hot topics' or not it's tomato related and important.

I don't buy many grocery store tomatoes - literally MAY BE 4 a year, but as far as I'm concerned - NOW it's 4 too many.

Anney,

Agriculture is political. Tomatoes, grown by slaves on our own nation's soil, is a horrific humans right offense. All of us should be appalled by this and not turn their eyes or minds from the dialogue.

This almost made me cry. Yes, another reason to grow your own, and another reason to eat what is in season! In the winter I simply figure out meals without tomatoes, unless I have canned/dried/frozen. Supermarket tomatoes might look like tomatoes, but if you ever buy one and taste it you will agree that they are not really tomatoes. Now they have an added flavor of human suffering, which makes them even less appealing. Thanks for posting this mulio.

Wow. That's pretty sad. Even illegal aliens deserve at least a minimum amount of protection from this sort of thing. Even though as a whole they bring it upon themselves by entering our country illegally no one deserves that kind of treatment. Never underestimate the cruelty of some when they think no one is watching.

billmack :
I concur w/ your post wholeheartedly except for the statement that it is not the growers fault.
Any businessman in America has the duty to treat employees fairly. Some people for different reasons cannot protect themselves.

The facts are irrefutable, Illegal aliens are criminals, and thier employers are criminals. Not only for employing them, which is illegal, but also for the human rights violations.

The Congress is made up of a majority of criminals.

We somehow have missed the fact of the stresses put on the tomato plants by all parties. The poor plants shiver in fright as they are roughed up by the poor pickers, looking over thier shoulders, hurriedly stuffing baskets full to reach thier qouta.

Greatest travesty of all.......................potential Tomatoe Violence.......... i believe we might need to send a few counselors to those fields to calm down the plants... this seems to be an escalating problem.