Attorney Position at the Fair Food Standards Council's Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Fair Food Standards Council

The Leading Edge of Human Rights in Agriculture

Attorney Position

The Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC) is an exciting new organization charged with overseeing all aspects of the historic Fair Food Program that the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has established with the Florida tomato industry. The Fair Food Program is the result of almost twenty years of creative local and national organizing by the CIW that has resulted in a working partnership among tomato workers, tomato growers and large corporate purchasers of tomatoes. The Program offers an unprecedented, worker-centered approach to socially responsible supply chains and the agricultural work environment; one in which participating corporate tomato buyers have committed to paying a Fair Food Premium for Florida tomatoes, with the premium passed through the payroll systems of participating growers as increased wages to tomato workers. The Program commits the industry to abide by a detailed Fair Food Code of Conduct that contains a worker-triggered complaint resolution mechanism, worker participation in health and safety protocols, and worker to worker education at the work site (and on the clock) on the rights and responsibilities associated with the Fair Food Program. The program further commits corporate purchasers to help enforce the Code through their purchasing decisions.

The Fair Food Standards Council seeks an attorney for its Sarasota office to help develop and monitor compliance with the Fair Food Program.

Responsibilities of this position include:

• Investigating complaints, both independently and with a team of investigators
• Developing and overseeing implementation of corrective action plans as necessary,
• Keeping current on applicable laws and regulations, and
• Helping to oversee the binding agreements with buyers and growers that are the foundation of the Fair Food Program.
• Developing working relationships at all levels of the industry to facilitate the day-to-day operations of the Fair Food Program.

The Fair Food Program is in effect throughout the State of Florida, and some local travel is likely.

Qualifications: Candidates will be considered for this position regardless of their years of experience, but familiarity with human rights approaches, drafting contracts and/or consent decrees, and representation of low-income populations is highly desired, as is experience working in a multi-cultural environment. The ability to communicate easily in Spanish is strongly preferred.

The FFSC offers a highly competitive salary and benefit structure within the non-profit sector.

The Fair Food Standards Council is an equal opportunity employer committed to developing a work force that reflects and can relate easily to the diverse populations involved in the Fair Food Program.

Applicants should send a resume or CV and a cover letter indicating interest in the position by email only to Steve Hitov at stevehitov@ciw-online.org. The subject line of the email should read FFSC Attorney Position. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.