WeCount! Launches ‘Planting Justice’ Campaign, Releases Report in Solidarity with Florida’s Plant Nursery Workers 

MIAMI, FLORIDA —Today, workers’ rights group WeCount! – in partnership with Dēmos and Partners for Dignity & Rights –  is publishing a landmark national report, The Human Cost of Houseplants, concerning the labor and human rights conditions of plant nursery workers in the U.S. houseplant industry. The release of this report coincides with the official launch of WeCount!’s Planting Justice campaign. The effort marks an outcry from plant nursery workers in South Florida–the national epicenter of the houseplant industry–who currently labor under dangerous, low-wage conditions to meet the nationwide surging demand for houseplants.

WeCount!’s new ‘Planting Justice’ campaign will call on major retailers and growers in the rapidly growing houseplant industry to join the Planting Justice Program and commit to providing plant nursery workers with enforceable labor and human rights, including fair wages, safe working conditions, and protection from harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. 

This first-of-its-kind report, The Human Cost of Houseplants, offers a rare look into the lucrative, $50-billion houseplant industry and the labor and human rights abuses faced by the workers who keep it going. A full copy of the report can be accessed here.

WeCount! will build on the launch of their Planting Justice campaign with an action and press conference on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14—one of the biggest days for houseplant sales every year. The event, which will bring together plant nursery workers, consumers, and community advocates to demand change, will be held at 11a.m. EDT at the WeCount! headquarters located at 201 N. Krome Ave, Homestead, Florida 33030.  

 Members of the press interested in covering Saturday's action and press conference should RSVP via email to [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected].  

Ahead of Saturday’s event, organizers and allies shared the following quotes for publication:   

“As our new report, ‘The Human Cost of Houseplants,’ reveals, the houseplant industry is in desperate need of systemic change,” said Oscar Londoño, Co-Executive Director of WeCount!. “Fortunately, Florida’s plant nursery workers have found a proven solution, and it’s called worker-driven social responsibility. With Planting Justice, we’re calling on major retailers and growers to partner with us to guarantee safe and dignified working conditions for plant nursery workers. Planting Justice is a worker-driven solution that offers a new path for these companies to make real their commitment to human rights and social responsibility.” 

“We’re launching Planting Justice because we know we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Alejandro Ramirez, a plant nursery worker in Florida and member of WeCount!’s Planting Justice campaign. “With Planting Justice, we are fighting to put an end to all the abuses and mistreatment we suffer in the nurseries. My message to every person who buys plants is to join Planting Justice and help us bring a real change to the industry.”    

“We were aware that plant nursery workers in South Florida faced serious challenges, but this report revealed the depth and scale of the problem,” said Candace Milner, Senior Policy Analyst at Dēmos. “All workers deserve fair wages, safe and healthy workplaces, and respect. The Planting Justice campaign marks a pivotal moment in the fight to make that vision real.”

“All people have a right to dignified work, fair pay, and safe working conditions,” said Rafaela Rodriguez, Community Partnerships Director at Partners for Dignity and Rights. “Planting Justice is based on the Worker-driven Social Responsibility model that has transformed working conditions for low-wage workers around the globe. Joining this program is a clear next step for companies to fulfill their responsibilities to respect human rights.” 

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WeCount! a non-profit, human rights organization that advocates for better living and working conditions for immigrant workers and families in Florida. Through their new Planting Justice campaign, WeCount! is bringing together plant nursery workers, consumers, and community and faith allies to ensure respect for labor and human rights across the houseplant industry. 

Dēmos is a non-profit public policy organization working to build a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy and economy. We work hand in hand to build power with and for Black and brown communities, forging strategic alliances with grassroots and state-based organizations. 

Partners for Dignity and Rights (PDR) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that works in partnership with communities to build power and advocate for human rights, strengthen public goods, and advance equity and justice in the U.S. and around the globe. For over a decade, Partners for Dignity and Rights has anchored coalitions and campaigns for worker organizations advocating for binding agreements and meaningful enforcement of human rights in supply chains and workplaces. PDR pursues meaningful changes that directly improve people’s lives now, and lays the groundwork for transformational change by building a movement for human rights.