Protesters have been calling on Publix to increase the price they pay for tomatoes.
The Coalition for Immokalee Workers has long tried to convince Publix to raise wages for tomato pickers as part of a broader effort to protect workers' rights.
In addition to the extra penny they are calling for, protesters want Publix to join the Fair Food program, where members buy tomatoes from approved suppliers, and make sure its suppliers treat workers fairly.
But the supermarket chain has refused to get involved. Publix spokesman DeWayne Stephens called the dispute a "labor issue between the farm workers and the farm owners."
"It is a labor issue and Publix does not get involved with supplier partners' labor issues," he said.
Several major companies, including McDonalds and Burger King, participate in the Coalition's Fair Food program. If Publix joins, protesters say, that would put pressure on other supermarket chains to join.
In about one month, Coalition members plan to march about 150 miles from Fort Myers to Lakeland, to protest outside Publix's corporate headquarters.
