Photo-report from Week 3 picket of the Milk with Dignity Month of Action
Posted Tue, 10/25/2022 - 10:47am
Last week’s picket of Hannaford Supermarkets brought the momentum of the Milk with Dignity Month of Action into its third week. Dozens of farmworkers and allies rallied, marched, and chanted, demanding that Hannaford take responsibility for abuses in its dairy supply chain and join the Milk with Dignity Program.
Javier was among those marching on the picket line in previous actions. Last week, we shared Javier’s story of long hours, no protections, and inhumane housing. Javier lives in a plywood apartment with a leaky roof above the barn, where he and his coworkers bathe using a bucket. Unwilling to continue to endure such abuses, Javier and his fellow dairy workers have been turning up the heat on Hannaford all month, demanding action from the grocery chain.
Javier and a growing number of dairy workers have submitted official complaints using a special complaint line set up by Hannaford after years of farmworker denunciations of abuses. Workers have bravely spoken out despite a complete lack of protection against retaliation. To date, none of their complaints have been resolved. Hannaford has yet to take any meaningful action to protect workers’ rights in its supply chain.
Were Hannaford to join the Milk with Dignity Program, worker complaints would be promptly investigated by an independent team of trusted auditors wholly dedicated to monitoring compliance with worker-defined labor and housing standards. Complaining workers would have full protection against retaliation and could expect a speedy resolution to their concerns, backed up by strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure farms’ compliance. Read more about how the Milk with Dignity Program works – and its unparalleled track record improving conditions and protecting rights – in our latest Milk with Dignity Report.
If you can’t make it to the central action on Shelburne Road in South Burlington, VT, gather your friends and family and head to your local Hannaford! Check out our “Adopt a Hannaford” toolkit to learn how you can take action in solidarity with farmworkers in your own community.
