Delia and her family are rallying at Hannaford. Will you join them?
Posted Tue, 07/19/2022 - 12:19pm
On July 29th, farmworkers will come together at the corporate headquarters of Hannaford Supermarkets in Scarborough, ME to demand dignity and respect. Dairy workers are urging the grocery chain to join the Milk with Dignity Program and commit to sourcing from farms that protect workers’ rights and well-being. But they can’t do it alone!
Delia, a Migrant Justice member and farmworker in northern Vermont, will be one of many workers traveling from Vermont to lead this action. July 29th will be a major break from her normal routine. She describes her grueling schedule:
“I start work at four in the morning. I have to bring my son with me to sleep in the barn before he goes to school. I work for more than ten hours straight and my only break is less than five minutes to drink a few sips of coffee. I don’t have time to sit and eat a proper meal until I finish work in the afternoon. By eight at night, my body can’t take anymore and I have to go to sleep to be able to get up the next day and do it all again. I end every day exhausted and barely have time to spend with my family.”
Delia’s schedule – the long hours, the inability to take breaks, the lack of time to spend with family – is typical for the farmworkers behind Hannaford-brand milk. From the daily indignity of being forced to skip meals, to the extreme violence and retaliation faced by Diego and his family that we recently shared, workers have had enough!
Farmworkers are leading the fight for Milk with Dignity: for over two years, workers have taken action to pressure Hannaford to join the worker-led human rights program. On July 29th, dozens of workers will use their scant time off to travel from around the region to Scarborough, Maine, (the site of Hannaford’s corporate headquarters) and demand Milk with Dignity. Delia and her family will be among them.
p.s. Help spread the word by sharing the facebook event for July 29th!