No Rotten Tomatoes: SW Florida Growers Sign Labor Agreement

These aren't exactly salad days for the working class, but Florida tomato pickers will be getting a penny more a pound for their labors.

Averting any interruption in the harvesting of the nation's largest fresh tomato crop, the agreement signed by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange affects some 30,000 field hands.

In addition to the raise -- which could mean a pay increase from $10,000 to $17,000 annually -- the labor accord introduces a cooperative complaint resolution system and a participatory health and safety program.