Migrant Justice Justicia Migrante

Burlington, VT.  Ten immigrant farmworkers stood in front of the U.S. Federal Building today to announce the filing of a joint petition to stop their deportations. Backed by supporters, the “Migrant Justice 10” called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to apply federal guidelines that benefit non-citizens with a history of advocacy for labor and housing rights, and to close their deportation cases, allowing them to remain in the U.S.

Pedro Ubaldo, one of the Migrant Justice 10, said: “I came to Vermont from Mexico when I was sixteen-years-old and have been working on dairy farms ever since. I was pulled over by ICE in 2019 for no reason and detained. Now they are trying to deport me to Mexico, but my life is here. I am fighting to stay in Vermont to provide for my family and organize with my community for a better future.”

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Over the weekend, 100 farmworkers and allies picketed a Hannaford Supermarket to urge the company to stop human rights abuses in its dairy supply chain and join the Milk with Dignity Program.

Today, add your voice to theirs by calling Hannaford President Mike Vail. Take a minute to join hundreds of others calling to send a clear message to Hannaford: we want Milk with Dignity!

End of day update: over 200 calls made today! In total, supporters have called Hannaford over 2,000 times demanding Milk with Dignity!

Starting with Mayday’s huge day of action – with 30 protests at stores across the region – we are turning up the heat on Hannaford this summer. On June 12th, over 100 farmworkers and allies turned out for an energetic and spirited picket at Hannaford Supermarket in Williston, VT. While Hannaford tries to sweep labor abuses under the rug, workers and consumers are united in calling on the company to take real action to protect farmworker rights by joining the Milk with Dignity Program!

Sunday’s rally was a beautiful display of unity between the dairy workers behind Hannaford-brand milk and the supermarket chain’s customers. Farmworkers and consumers picketed in front of the busy Williston location, to the supportive honks of many. As a phalanx of Hananford’s hired security guards looked on, workers rose to speak about pervasive human rights abuses in Hannaford’s dairy supply chain – and about the power of the Milk with Dignity Program to ensure dignified and humane conditions.

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This spring we’ve been turning up the heat on Hannaford Supermarkets, pressing the grocery chain to ensure dignified conditions for the dairy workers behind Hannaford-brand milk. Farmworkers and consumers are united in calling for Milk with Dignity.

Let’s keep the pressure going! Join us this Sunday at 1pm for a rally at Hannaford in Williston, VT!

The pressure continues to mount on Hannaford to join Milk with Dignity. And the company continues to respond with the same tired excuses and justifications. Hannaford claims that its dairy supply chain is free from human rights abuses. As evidence, they say they’ve spoken with farm owners, made on-site assessments, and consulted with the Departments of Labor and Agriculture. You know who they haven’t spoken to? Farmworkers!

If Hannaford had spoken with workers, they would have heard from people like Tomás, who works 12 hours shifts without breaks and shares a deteriorating, overcrowded apartment above the milking parlor with eight other workers. “There’s no privacy and no ventilation. You can’t sleep, especially in the summer when it gets hot. We’re human beings and we have rights, too!”

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Governor Phil Scott has signed into law S.140, a bill introduced by Migrant Justice to prohibit immigration arrests at Vermont courts. Vermont now becomes one of a handful of states to protect immigrant rights at courthouses.

In recent years, ICE has staked out courthouses around the state to detain and deport immigrants appearing for hearings. Agents have arrested people in courtrooms, on courthouse steps, and in court parking lots. One of those affected was Beto Sanchez, who recently spoke at a recent press conference:

“When I went to my hearing, everybody in the courtroom but me knew that ICE was there to arrest me. I spent three and a half months in detention before I was finally released. When people ask me if they should go to court, I don’t know what to tell them. We want to do the right thing but it’s not fair that just by going to court we can be arrested and deported.”

Farmworker leader Olga Cruz, who provided key testimony in support of the bill, celebrated the law’s passage: “This is a big step forward, but it’s only a step in a larger fight to protect our rights and end ICE’s attacks against our community.”

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We recently put out a call for Milk with Dignity supporters to “Adopt a Hannaford" by committing to take solidarity actions at their local store on May 1st and beyond. The response has been overwhelming! 

From Machias, ME to Milton, VT, from Waltham, MA to West Lebanon, NH, and everywhere in between, people are celebrating International Workers’ Day by standing in solidarity with dairy workers’ fight for human rights. In what is shaping up to be our largest coordinated day of action ever, farmworkers and allies will be engaging Hannaford customers and managers at stores across the region with a clear message: We want Milk with Dignity!

On April 13th, Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Hannaford Supermarkets, held its annual meeting of shareholders. The multinational corporation’s executives and investors celebrated a banner year – a 60% increase in profits, with sales topping $80 billion – and they rewarded themselves with generous bonuses and over a billion dollars in stock dividends. 

Meanwhile, farmworkers whose labor forms the base of Ahold’s wealth continue working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, in dangerous conditions, for subminimum wages, while living in housing unfit for human habitation. This stark inequality makes it crystal clear why Hannaford can and must take responsibility for conditions in its supply chain by partering with dairy workers in the Milk with Dignity program.

Hannaford customers are “adopting” their local stores on May 1st, International Workers Day, and committing to take action in support of Milk with Dignity. There are already actions confirmed at 18 Hannaford locations around the region.

Come out on Mayday to support farmworkers’ fight for rights and dignity! Workers will be leading actions in Middlebury, VT at 11:30am and in South Burlington, VT at 1:30pm. Join one of the day’s main protests, or sign up to take part in a solidarity action at your local store!

And click "Read More" to get the full report-back from Ahold's shareholder meeting!

Dairy workers are calling out the abuses on farms producing milk for Hannaford Supermarkets. In response to every denunciation, Hannaford has repeated the statement that it expects all its suppliers to "follow labor laws and treat workers fairly and humanely.” Its parent company, Ahold Delhaize touts its commitment to “ethical behavior” and “human rights.”

But farmworkers like Maricela know from painful experience the wide gap between lofty words and real protections. She recently shared:

My name is Mari and I’ve worked on dairy farms for the last five years. I first came here to give my children a better life. During my time as a farmworker I have been discriminated against and harassed. As a woman, it’s hard to face this inequality. I have worked 60 hour weeks, in the cold, for less than minimum wage. I’ve worked on different farms, some better than others, but the last farm I was on was the worst of them all. 

Read Mari's full testimony, then make a call to Hannaford today to let them know that the only way to make their "expectations" a reality is to join the Milk with Dignity Program!

End of day update: over 375 calls made to Hananford!