Walmart-at-the-Crossroads-FINAL-06.04.15

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Munger Farms’s use of unauthorized workers, claiming the company switched from Global Horizons to J&M Contracting in favor of J&M’s tendency to hire low-wage, undocumented workers. 96 These labor infractions prove that one of Walmart’s main suppliers is not adhering to the Walmart labor code of conduct. ii. Environment A 2014 article discussing two sustainability initiatives, Greener Fields Together and SureHarvest, found that Naturipe Farms had made “notable improvements towards sustainability.” For instance, one of Naturipe’s California farms has a 100% drip irrigation system, which helps to improve water efficiency. 97 Naturipe Farms also boasts of their sustainable and compostable Earthcycle packaging used for organic berries. 98 Although Naturipe Farms is making some strides with improving sustainability in their organic products, organics represent only a portion of their overall sales. FCWA’s field research, moreover, found that there were no Naturipe organic options present in Walmart stores. Consequently, Naturipe Farms, LLC might not be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as they may claim. A 2010 study at the University of California, Berkeley found that pesticide use was a health issue for farm workers in the Salinas Valley of California. Mothers who were exposed to pesticides during pregnancy birthed children with more mental development issues than those mothers who were not exposed to pesticides. This study did not specifically mention which farms used harmful pesticides; nevertheless, Naturipe Farms, LLC is known to have farms in the area. Tom Amrhein, a Naturipe grower, explains that although many consumers believe organic berries are free of pesticides, Naturipe’s product can still have residues of these harmful chemicals. Naturipe Farms, LLC’s use of pesticides demonstrates that this company may not be a leader in reducing pollutants as per Walmart’s code of conduct. Walmart should enforce its environmental standards on Naturipe Farms, LLC and on its other main suppliers. Page !23
B. Profile: Wage Theft in the Blueberry Industry Munger Farms, one of the subsidiaries of Naturipe Farms, LLC, has also reportedly committed wage theft. In 2009, the United Farm Workers was prepared to press charges against the company after workers were fired without receiving their last paychecks. After a protest, 17 were paid, but 60 workers still awaited their money. 99 One worker, Guillermo Cruz, told his story: We started working at 8 am, and we were asked to pick 5 boxes of blueberries for the day, which is a total of 65 pounds of blueberries. I did everything that I could to meet the quota. Company supervisors were constantly on top of us and yelling at us if we dropped any blueberries on the ground, which made us very nervous and confused on what to do. Workers could not afford to go to drink water or even go to the restroom because of the tremendous fear of losing their jobs. Some workers even worked through their lunch breaks to try to meet the quota. The company would not even allow us to take our third break. Many workers were running and going as fast as they could to try to meet the goal. I was one of the few that was able to make 4 boxes and could not understand why I would be fired if I had done everything in my power to meet the quota. The time we worked we saw crews of 60 workers going and coming because of the tremendous pressure to meet the quota and the company was firing workers every day. 100 C. Supplier 2: SunnyRidge Farms/Dole Berry Company SunnyRidge Farms has been owned by Dole Berry Company since 2011. Dole Berry is a subsidiary of Dole Food, the world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables, with a revenue of $4.25 billion in 2012. 101, 102 SunnyRidge Farms alone has 13 packing and distribution Page !24
Page 1 and 2: Walmart at the Crossroads The Envir
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents I. Introduction:
Page 5 and 6: B. Supplier 2: Pilgrim’s Pride/JB
Page 7 and 8: supply chain practices have been re
Page 9 and 10: Labor II. Walmart’s Labor and Env
Page 11 and 12: • Handle, store and transport haz
Page 13 and 14: III. Overview of Walmart’s Record
Page 15 and 16: pay their workers unfair wages and
Page 17 and 18: energy consumption derived from ren
Page 19 and 20: V. Industry Reports Along with the
Page 21 and 22: A. Supplier 1: Monterey Mushrooms,
Page 23 and 24: C. Supplier 2: Giorgio Foods, Inc.
Page 25 and 26: 2. Blueberry Industry Blueberries a
Page 27: Table 2: Naturipe Facilities in the
Page 31 and 32: known for its devastating environme
Page 33 and 34: prominent supplier to Walmart, yet
Page 35 and 36: A. Supplier 1: Chiquita The United
Page 37 and 38: B. Supplier 2: Del Monte In additio
Page 39 and 40: iii. Environment In addition to hav
Page 41 and 42: 5. Packaged Salad Industry Packaged
Page 43 and 44: days even though he attributed this
Page 45 and 46: parts of their wages go to the empl
Page 47 and 48: Fred Penny is first vice chairman o
Page 49 and 50: product cost from wages if a distri
Page 51 and 52: A. Supplier 1: Cal-Maine Foods Cal-
Page 53 and 54: to roughly 10,000 cages in each bar
Page 55 and 56: no authority under the federal wate
Page 57 and 58: 8. Dairy Industry The dairy industr
Page 59 and 60: In 2010, the Obama administration d
Page 61 and 62: Nestlé’s issues with labor do no
Page 63 and 64: Walmart, including its subsidiaries
Page 65 and 66: United States. In fact, Joel was on
Page 67 and 68: cooperative joined the fluid milk b
Page 69 and 70: Another significant problem in the
Page 71 and 72: sectors. Common violations at poult
Page 73 and 74: during incidents at facilities in K
Page 75 and 76: the company in any of these cases.
Page 77 and 78: in getting the “Humanely Raised
Page 79 and 80:
labor rights are violated. The adde
Page 81 and 82:
chain. “Walmart has still failed
Page 83 and 84:
B. Environment Besides troubling la
Page 85 and 86:
dollars in yearly revenue, 407 Schn
Page 87 and 88:
i. Labor In December 2012, UNFI was
Page 89 and 90:
money to non-profits “committed t
Page 91 and 92:
Former Walmart President and CEO Mi
Page 93 and 94:
4. Does the price they receive, aft
Page 95 and 96:
VII. Conclusion and Recommendations
Page 97 and 98:
fact, Walmart’s business model ha
Page 99 and 100:
4. Establish a 40-hour minimum for
Page 101 and 102:
Endnotes and Citations 1 “Our Loc
Page 103 and 104:
46 Stacy Mitchell, “Walmart’s A
Page 105 and 106:
89 “Memoria Anual Hortifrut S.A.
Page 107 and 108:
135 “Fresh Del Monte Produce, Cor
Page 109 and 110:
182 “Flowers Foods Investor Fact
Page 111 and 112:
232 Ibid. 233 Ibid. 234 Ibid. 235
Page 113 and 114:
282 Ibid. 283 Dale Heberlig, “Off
Page 115 and 116:
332 “Tyson Fact Book,” Tyson Fo
Page 117 and 118:
377 “Seafood Statistics,”Statis
Page 119 and 120:
428 Ibid. 429 “United Natural Foo
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