Results from 200+ farmworkers surveyed on labor conditions on Vermont dairies
Posted Mon, 09/23/2024 - 8:20pm
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.
For a deeper dive, check out the preliminary report of survey data!
In 2014, Migrant Justice undertook the first-ever farmworker-to-farmworker survey on Vermont dairy farms, publishing results on conditions that prior to the survey had been hidden from view. Ten years later, we decided it was time for a refresher. As conditions continue to improve on farms in the Milk with Dignity Program – exhaustively documented through regular Program reports – we wanted to see how things had progressed on farms without the protections afforded by the Program.
With support from the Labor Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Migrant Justice developed a comprehensive survey covering wages, hours, health and safety, housing, and treatment on the farm. Over the spring and summer, current and former farmworkers fanned out across the state, conducting hour-long surveys with workers in their homes, on the farm, and at community assemblies.
The results show why Milk with Dignity is so important. Outside the Program, farmworkers continue to labor long hours for low pay, in unsafe and discriminatory working conditions, and to live in inadequate and sometimes inhumane housing. Stay tuned for the forthcoming 2024 Milk with Dignity Program report, which will demonstrate the contrast with conditions in the Program.
In the meantime, join farmworkers on the picket line as they campaign to expand Milk with Dignity. Throughout October, farmworkers and allies will hold protests in front of Hannaford stores and urge customers not to cross the picket line and not to shop at the store. This is a major step in the campaign calling on Hannaford to join Milk with Dignity!