Plant nursery workers will take to the streets of Coral Gables on May Day, demanding better conditions in a booming but largely overlooked industry.

Hundreds of workers, labor leaders and community members are expected to gather Friday, May 1, at Lola B. Walker Pioneers’ Park before marching roughly two miles through Coral Gables as part of the first-ever “March for Planting Justice,” organized by South Florida labor advocacy organization WeCount!.

The 1:30 p.m. demonstration will follow a free screening at the Coral Gables Art Cinema of “Without Shade, Without Rest,” a new documentary about WeCount!, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their campaigns for heat protections in Florida.

The film is scheduled to run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed immediately by a Q&A session with involved organizations and the filmmakers.

The march and screening are timed to coincide with International Workers’ Day and the start of Miami-Dade County’s annual Heat Season, aims to pressure major national retailers to join the group’s Planting Justice program and work to eliminate labor and human rights abuses in the industry.

Organizers say the march will bring visibility to labor conditions in South Florida’s plant nursery industry, which the group says produces more than 70% of the nation’s indoor foliage and tropical plants.

Despite the industry’s scale — valued at roughly $50 billion, according to WeCount! — workers say their experiences often go unnoticed by consumers.

Those concerns are outlined in a recent WeCount! report, “The Human Cost of Houseplants,” based on a survey of more than 300 nursery workers in South Miami-Dade. The report describes widespread workplace issues, including exposure to extreme heat, unsafe pesticide use and limited access to basic necessities.

According to the findings, 86% of respondents reported suffering work-related injuries or illnesses, while nearly a third said they were not provided drinking water. Among those who were, most described it as unsanitary.

More than 80% said their workplaces lacked shaded rest areas, even as temperatures regularly exceed 90 degrees.

The report also details allegations of wage theft, with 35% of workers saying they were not paid fully or on time, and broader workplace concerns affecting women, a majority of the workforce.

More than half reported experiencing sexual harassment, discrimination or hostile conditions.

The march comes more than three years after Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava unveiled the county’s Extreme Heat Action Plan, which included tree plantings, construction of “accessible shade structures” and expanding public access to water through hydration stations, misters and splash pads at parks by 2026.

WeCount! and participating workers are now calling on large retailers like ALDI, Home Depot, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target and Trader Joe’s to sign legally binding agreements requiring suppliers to follow a worker-driven code of conduct, backed by independent monitoring and audits.

The campaign is also urging Miami-Dade-based Costa Farms, one of the world’s largest plant growers, to adopt the program.

Friday’s march will feature music, banners and a visible route through busy retail corridors, as workers and supporters seek to connect consumer demand with labor conditions behind the plants sold in stores.

View the event page here.

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