Article, Vol. 15.1

by Michele Simon

Editor’s Note: This article is included in Volume 15.1 of the CUNY Law Review. Michele Simon is a public health attorney and author of Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back. She is also the President of Eat Drink Politics, a consulting business on countering corporate harm to improve public health. Read the full article here.

Over the past decade, many questions have been raised about the role of the food industry in contributing to a marketing environment in which unhealthy beverages and snacks have become the norm. While industry responses have come in various forms, PepsiCo stands out, at least in terms of public relations. The company prides itself on being a leader in corporate social responsibility. The goal of this article is to take a closer look at what the company says it’s doing, what it’s actually doing, and the broader context for these actions.

Editor’s Note: As part of its Fall 2009 Public Interest Practice Section (“PIPS”) series exploring the role of legal services in worker organizing, the New York City Law Review conducted the following interviews with Nadia Marín-Molina, [FN1] Executive Director of the Workplace Project, and Jaime Vargas, [FN2] Organizer, on September 23, 2009, at the organization’s Long Island office in Hempstead, New York. Ms. Marín-Molina has worked for the Workplace Project for thirteen years, and Mr. Vargas for seven years. The following is an edited transcript of the interviews, conducted by PIPS Associate Editor Jonathan Harris and Managing Articles Editor Shirley Lin.

JAIME VARGAS, ORGANIZER

Q: Tell us about the Workplace Project. When was it started? How did it begin? What kind of community needs does the Workplace Project serve?

A: The Workplace Project started in 1992. It was created as a response to a need that Jennifer Gordon [FN3] identified while working with the Central American community. Many workers had complaints related to wages. Many workers were Central American. Workers were being exploited; they were being mistreated or didn’t get paid wages. It was too much for the community of Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Mexicans. So, from that moment an organization began to form. Continue reading →