Milk with Dignity Month of Action: Don’t cross the picket line! Sign the consumer pledge!

The Milk with Dignity Month of Action has begun. In the coming weeks, farmworkers will lead pickets of Hannaford Supermarkets demanding that the company stop abuses in its dairy supply chain by joining the Milk with Dignity Program. Workers are urging customers to respect the picket line and to refrain from shopping at Hannaford while workers and allies are picketing.

The Month of Action follows a successful one-day boycott of a Hannaford store in the spring, when hundreds of potential customers turned away in solidarity with farmworkers. After years of calling on consumers to engage with the grocery chain – and being met with excuses and distractions from company executives – workers are turning up the heat on Hannaford by demonstrating that customers are willing to withhold their purchasing power when asked.

This month we are launching a consumer pledge. Hannaford customers: show support for farmworkers by pledging to never cross a picket line and – if, in the future, workers call for a full store boycott – to stop shopping at Hannaford entirely. We want to show Hannaford that workers are not alone!

Take a minute to show your solidarity with farmworkers and sign the Milk with Dignity Consumer Pledge today!

Farmworkers and allies will gather on 10/3, 6pm at the Hannaford store on Shelburne Rd. in South Burlington, VT to kick off the month of action. Pickets will follow in St. Albans, Barre, Morrisville, and Middlebury before heading to Maine, southern Vermont, and New Hampshire later in the month. In addition to pickets, campaign allies are organizing consumer education events to pass out the Consumer Pledge and build support for the campaign.

Check out the interactive map to find a Milk with Dignity action near you!

The need for Milk with Dignity has never been clearer. The recently-published preliminary report from a survey of over 200 farmworkers shows conclusively the widespread mistreatment of workers in the dairy industry. More than half work 12+ hours a day; 87% are paid below minimum wage; 77% have suffered a work-related injury or illness; and 82% report issues with housing, such as pest infestations and mold, insufficient heating and insulation, and workers sharing beds or sleeping in common spaces due to overcrowding.

Behind each of these statistics is a story of a farmworker persevering over undignified working and living conditions. The workers who sustain the dairy industry – and who put milk on Hannaford’s shelves – deserve better: farmworkers and consumers demand Milk with Dignity!

Planning on joining one of the pickets? Can you plan your own consumer education event? RSVP here!