Blogs

Migrant Justice is excited to publish preliminary results from our latest survey of labor and housing conditions of immigrant dairy workers in Vermont. The survey results demonstrate the dire conditions in the dairy industry – including in Hannaford Supermarket's dairy supply chain – and emphasize the need for companies to join the Milk with Dignity Program.

The survey of over 200 immigrant dairy workers on non-Milk with Dignity farms in Vermont has some shocking results: 87% receive less than Vermont’s minimum wage of $13.67/hour, with the median worker making just $11.67/hour; 77% have suffered work-related health problems; 82% report issues with employer-provided housing; and 53% report discriminatory treatment. One out of every two survey respondents works at least 12 hours a day, with 95% working 6-7 days per week.

Read more to see more survey results!

Migrant Justice has announced a Month of Action for the Milk with Dignity campaign for this fall. Throughout October, farmworkers and allies will hold protests in front of Hannaford Supermarkets and urge customers not to cross the picket line and not to shop at the store. This is a major step in the campaign and will show Hannaford executives that consumers stand with farmworkers demanding Milk with Dignity – and are willing to withhold their purchasing power when asked!

Ten pickets are planned for the month of action at Hannaford stores around New England. Details about each action can be found on our interactive map. As campaign allies volunteer to organize consumer education events at their local Hannaford, we will add those events to the map to allow others to join in. 

Click “Read More” to get more information and see the interactive map!

Following the summer’s shocking case of violence against a farmworker family, Migrant Justice is calling for a month of action at Hannaford Supermarkets to demand Milk with Dignity. Throughout October, farmworkers and allies will picket stores, urging customers not to cross the picket line and not to shop at Hannaford.

October will see farmworker-led actions at Hannaford stores around the region. The month of action will include a mix of larger pickets urging potential customers not to shop at Hannaford and smaller events engaging with consumers and educating them about Milk with Dignity. Pickets are already planned at nine stores, and we invite you to organize an additional event at your nearest Hannaford.

Read more to get more information on the Month of Action and sign up to join a picket!

A family on a Vermont dairy farm was recently assaulted by the farm owner, sending one worker and his 15-year-old nephew to the hospital. The employer is facing criminal charges, while workers are calling for greater protections to prevent future cases of violence against farmworkers. The farm is in the dairy supply chain of Hannaford Supermarket, which has refused repeated calls to join Milk with Dignity, a worker-created program to protect farmworker rights.

On July 3rd, Richard Hulett, the owner of Deer Flats Farm and a member of the Pawlet Select Board, approached the workers’ housing, upset over a misunderstood conversation between workers earlier in the day. Farmworker Ulver Perez opened the door and was immediately attacked by his boss, who pulled him down the stairs and began hitting him.

According to Ulver: “He punched me repeatedly until I fell to the ground, using his metal [prosthetic] hand. He kept hitting me and I wasn’t able to defend myself. I pulled myself to my feet, but he cornered me against the bannister. He kept hitting me and began to choke me with the metal hand. He was holding my throat so tightly that I couldn’t breathe. I started to black out and thought I was going to die. I thought my boss would kill me and I would never see my family again.”

Read more to get the full story and take action to support Milk with Dignity!

A family has been deported to Honduras, in violation of the government’s legal protections for asylum seekers. Greisy Mejia, 29, came to the United States with her nine-year-old daughter and infant son fleeing for her life. Rather than allow her to apply for relief from deportation, immigration agents detained Greisy and her children yesterday in St. Albans, VT. 

As dozens of community members gathered for an emergency rally outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, Greisy and her children were driven away. They were put on a plane and deported to Honduras. ICE carried out this deportation despite protections guaranteeing individuals who express fear of persecution in their country of origin an interview with an asylum officer.

We denounce this cruel and horrific abuse. ICE needlessly and knowingly sent a family back to a country where their lives will be at risk – in violation of the law and the agency’s own guidelines. We hold ICE responsible for any harm that comes to Greisy and her family. This is an attack against the entire immigrant community. Migrant Justice mourns the deportation of this family and will continue to fight for their safe return to the United States.

Read more for the full press release!

Vermont Governor Phil Scott has signed into law a proposal crafted by Migrant Justice to expand access to higher education for the state’s immigrant community. The new “Education Equity for Immigrant Students” law will ensure that all Vermont residents, regardless of immigration status, have access to in-state tuition rates and need-based financial aid when attending public colleges and universities.

Migrant Justice built a coalition and worked with lawmakers throughout this year’s legislative session to advance this important proposal. The work was led by immigrant students and parents, who met with representatives and senators, built support, and provided testimony on their desire to build a future in Vermont.

Read more to get the full story!

“Education Equity for Immigrant Students” proposal awaits Governor’s signature

Montpelier, VT: Lawmakers and immigrant community members rallied today at the Vermont State House to celebrate the passage of the “Education Equity for Immigrant Students” proposal by the legislature and to call on Governor Scott to sign the bill into law.

Once enacted, the bill will ensure that all Vermont residents, regardless of immigration status, have access to in-state tuition rates and need-based financial aid when attending public colleges and universities in the state. The proposal, originally introduced as H.817, was later combined with another education-related bill (S.191) and passed overwhelmingly by both houses. The bill was transmitted to the Governor on May 24th and awaits his signature.

On May 1st, farmworkers held a hugely successful one-day boycott of the Hannaford in Williston, VT that resulted in a double-digit drop in the store’s sales. Hundreds of customers made a choice to show their solidarity with farmworkers and not cross the picket line. Following this successful action, we reached out to Hannaford to request a meeting to discuss our invitation to join the Milk with Dignity Program.

Last Friday, after Hannaford failed to respond to the invitation, farmworkers decided to bring the message directly to Hannaford President Mike Vail at the company’s headquarters in Scarborough, Maine. With thousands of handwritten postcards from Hannaford customers in hand, a delegation of a dozen Vermont dairy workers and allies traveled to Scarborough and knocked on the company’s front doors.

Read more to see the full photo-report!

In 2017, when Donald Trump took the presidency and made attacks against immigrant communities and “Sanctuary Cities” a cornerstone of his administration, Vermont policy-makers and law enforcement officials buckled under the threats and watered down protections for immigrant rights in the state. After years of pressure from Migrant Justice – and with the threat of another Trump presidency looming – the state has now reversed course and strengthened policy. While the changes still leave out some key protections, they represent a significant victory for immigrant rights in Vermont.

We celebrate this achievement while recognizing that the changes fall short of what immigrant communities need and deserve. Our focus now turns towards implementation, to ensure that law enforcement agencies properly adopt, train to, and hold officers accountable to the updated policy. No actions can undo the harm caused by past collaboration, but the new policy will be a key tool to protect immigrant rights in Vermont in the years to come.

Read more to learn about new protections in Vermont’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy!

This year’s Mayday action at Hannaford Supermarket was a huge success! From 7am to 11pm, farmworkers and allies picketed, rallied, marched, and chanted, calling on Hannaford customers to refrain from shopping at the store. The response was overwhelming: hundreds of potential customers respected the picket line and turned away, decreasing Hannaford’s sales at its Williston location by double digits.

The action on International Workers’ Day felt like a full-day festival. Throughout the day, farmworkers were joined on the picket line by union members, faith communities, farmers, and students: nuns, high schoolers, and nurses all chanted together, calling for Milk with Dignity. Farmworkers delivered homemade meals of tamales, empanadas, and barbacoa, keeping the ralliers fed. Bread & Puppet brought a massive puppet, and brass bands provided musical accompaniment. Picketers cooled off with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (from Milk with Dignity farms!), and a cow with a Mayday garland of daffodils made an appearance.

Read more to see the full photo-report!