Dole Global Campaign Continues

Dole remains subject to an international campaign focused on Dole’s refusal to respect worker rights not only in the flower sector but also in the banana sector. 

The campaign is being led by the European Banana Action Network (EUROBAN) and the CGT labor union in France, home of Dole Europe, and supported by the Coordination of Latin American Banana Worker Unions (COLSIBA) and the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF). 

The campaign was launched last fall after Dole failed to respond adequately to proposals from COLSIBA backed up by an organizational sign-on letter initiated by USLEAP.  Dole has subsequently had several meetings with banana worker unions and representatives in Ecuador and Costa Rica. 

In March, the company also launched a new website on corporate responsibility.  The website contains a statement of support for the basic rights of workers, including freedom of association, and claims that Dole represents 30,000 union workers globally. 
In the U.S., some Dole workers are represented by the United Farm Workers (strawberry workers in California), the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (pineapple workers in Hawaii), and the Teamsters.  However, many Dole workers are not represented in the U.S. (e.g. flower processing workers in Miami).  In Latin America, the vast majority of banana workers producing for Dole are not represented (e.g. in Ecuador, most of Costa Rica, and the south coast of Guatemala) and Dole has just crushed its largest flower worker union in Colombia.