Week #3 Photo-report of the Milk with Dignity Month of Action!
Posted Tue, 10/22/2024 - 4:34pm
The Milk with Dignity Month of Action has reached its final week! Unseasonably warm temperatures and sunny days have kept the actions going, as farmworkers and allies continue to picket Hannaford Supermarkets around the region. At each action, workers are connecting with consumers to build support for the campaign and increase the pressure on Hannaford to join the Milk with Dignity Program.
The third week of the Month of Action brought Migrant Justice to Maine – with energetic pickets in Portland and Belfast – then back to Vermont for a consumer education event in Williston. During the pickets, farmworkers from Maine and Vermont stood side-by-side and called on potential Hannaford customers to show support by not crossing the picket line. Many would-be shoppers turned around after hearing workers’ messages.
Check out the full photo-report on the Migrant Justice below!
Last week’s pickets came together with the support of the Maine Milk with Dignity Alliance, a growing coalition of labor and community organizations across the state. Picketers included allies from the Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Youth Power, the Maine chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Southern Maine Workers Center, Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education at the University of Southern Maine, Mid-Coast Showing Up for Racial Justice, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, Jewish Action Maine, Inside Out, the Possibility Alliance, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and more. A special shout-out to the union members of International Association of Machinists Local S6, who joined the Portland picket at the end of their shift at the Bath Iron Works.
At each action, farmworkers and allies have distributed consumer pledges asking Hannaford customers to show solidarity with 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. To date, nearly 500 customers have signed the pledge!
The Month of Action will wrap up this week with four final events in Vermont and New Hampshire.
- Tuesday 10/22 5-7pm, 141 Hannaford Square, Bennington, VT (farmworker picket)
- Thursday 10/24 3:30-6:30pm, 1127 North Ave, Burlington, VT (farmworker picket)
- Thursday 10/24 5-7pm, 896 Putney Rd, Brattleboro, VT (farmworker picket)
- Sunday 10/27 12-5pm, 8 Market St, West Lebanon, NH (farmworker picket)
The Month of Action continues to make headlines, with coverage in local newspapers and TV stations across New England. Maine’s ABC/Fox affiliate interviewed dairy worker Roberto Hernandez at the Belfast picket. Roberto – who works on a farm in Hannaford’s supply chain – explained:
"As farmworkers, we live on the farms where we work, and a lot of time the housing conditions are in really rough shape. These are old, broken-down houses where we have to fight every day just to have adequate heating or a washer and dryer that functions…. What we are asking for is humane housing conditions where we can live in a dignified manner.”
Hannaford, don’t delay: join Milk with Dignity today!
Farmworkers and allies pose for a group shot at the Hannaford in Portland, ME
At each action, customers driving in and out of the Hannaford parking lot receive flyers and a pledge form. After learning about the campaign, many customers turn around and drive away rather than cross the picket line!
The Maine labor movement turned out strong, with union members joining the picket line from around the state
Farmworker Agustin led the Portland picket. Agustin and coworkers recently organized to win vacations and a raise. He used his vacation – the first ever taken by a worker on his farm! – to join the Maine leg of the Month of Action.
Farmworkers from Vermont and Maine joined together at the Belfast picket to demand Milk with Dignity
Allies joined the line, bringing their home-made signs
Farmworkers and allies stand united for Milk with Dignity!