Dole Food Company

Dole, along with Chiquita, is one of the top two banana traders in the world. Dole is much less unionized than Chiquita, is much more secretive, and has generally shown much less interest in engaging responsibly on the issue of worker rights in the banana (or flower) industry.

Dole has concentrated banana production in Ecuador where workers are paid much lower wages and provided virtually no benefits. Dole also advocates for European trade rules that accelerate the race to the bottom by increasing market competition to the detriment of unionized banana workers with good jobs.

Dole also has been the target of a flower worker organizing campaign in Colombia.

Dole Targeted by USLEAP and 74 Other Human Rights Organizations

USLEAP joined with 74 other organizations in sending a letter on May 18, 2006 to the Dole Food Company, charging it with failing to respect basic workers rights, especially freedom of association, the right to organize and the right to negotiate a contract.

The letter followed an April 1, 2006 letter sent to Dole by the Coordination of Latin American Banana Worker Unions (COLSIBA) demanding that Dole respect fundamental worker rights.

USLEAP, COLSIBA and six other organizations also released a special report entitled, “Dole, Behind the Smoke Screen.” The report, produced in multiple languages, documents Dole worker rights violations in Latin America. USLEAP and other signers of the letter called on Dole “to make a commitment not only on paper, but also in practice.”

In the fall of 2006, after Dole refused to address the concerns expressed in the COLSIBA letter, an international campaign against Dole was launched by COLSIBA, EUROBAN, the IUF, USLEAP and others.

In March 2007, Dole and banana unions in Costa Rica signed a country-specific agreement intended to increase Dole's respect for worker rights. The campaign continues, however, until further advances are made and progress is made on the ground.

In August 2007, USLEAP joined with over 50 other organizations in the U.S. and Europe in another sign-on letter to Dole protesting the company's lack of progress in improving respect for worker rights.  The campaign continues into 2008.

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