Migrant Justice Justicia Migrante

The Milk with Dignity Month of Action kicked off with a bang! Farmworkers and allies rallied at Hannaford Supermarkets around the region, connecting with customers and spreading the message: don’t cross the picket line!

The first week saw events take place at stores in South Burlington, St. Albans, Barre, and Brandon. At each action, potential Hannaford customers turned around and drove away without shopping at the store. Consumers are demonstrating that they are willing to show their solidarity with farmworkers by withholding their purchases.

Read more to see the full photo-report and get information about upcoming actions!

Migrant Justice celebrates the seven-year anniversary of the Milk with Dignity Program! On October 3rd, 2017, farmworkers stood side-by-side with the CEO of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to sign the first Milk with Dignity agreement and launch this transformational program.

In the seven years since Milk with Dignity’s founding, the Program has brought unprecedented improvements to the living and working conditions of hundreds of farmworkers in Vermont and New York. Over 50 participating farms have benefited from the millions of dollars in Milk with Dignity premium and other program supports. Milk with Dignity’s farmworker-authored standards and strong enforcement mechanisms have turned workers into frontline defenders of their own human rights on the farm.

Read more to learn about Milk with Dignity’s accomplishments and find the full Program report

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.

Read more to see the full map of actions and to sign the consumer pledge for Milk with Dignity!

Migrant Justice recently shared the results from this year's farmworker-to-farmworker survey on dairy labor conditions. If you found yourself moved to action, there's something you can do!

Call Hannaford Supermarket today and urge the company to join Milk with Dignity, the only proven solution to protect workers' rights in the dairy industry! Join with thousands of allies who have called Hannaford's headquarters to show their support for Milk with Dignity. Make your call today!

And if you haven’t seen the latest survey results, keep scrolling to see the next post!

End-of-day update: 240 confirmed calls!

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.

Read more to see more survey results!

Migrant Justice has announced a Month of Action for the Milk with Dignity campaign for this fall. Throughout October, farmworkers and allies will hold protests in front of Hannaford Supermarkets and urge customers not to cross the picket line and not to shop at the store. This is a major step in the campaign and will show Hannaford executives that consumers stand with farmworkers demanding Milk with Dignity – and are willing to withhold their purchasing power when asked!

Ten pickets are planned for the month of action at Hannaford stores around New England. Details about each action can be found on our interactive map. As campaign allies volunteer to organize consumer education events at their local Hannaford, we will add those events to the map to allow others to join in. 

Click “Read More” to get more information and see the interactive map!

Following the summer’s shocking case of violence against a farmworker family, Migrant Justice is calling for a month of action at Hannaford Supermarkets to demand Milk with Dignity. Throughout October, farmworkers and allies will picket stores, urging customers not to cross the picket line and not to shop at Hannaford.

October will see farmworker-led actions at Hannaford stores around the region. The month of action will include a mix of larger pickets urging potential customers not to shop at Hannaford and smaller events engaging with consumers and educating them about Milk with Dignity. Pickets are already planned at nine stores, and we invite you to organize an additional event at your nearest Hannaford.

Read more to get more information on the Month of Action and sign up to join a picket!

A family on a Vermont dairy farm was recently assaulted by the farm owner, sending one worker and his 15-year-old nephew to the hospital. The employer is facing criminal charges, while workers are calling for greater protections to prevent future cases of violence against farmworkers. The farm is in the dairy supply chain of Hannaford Supermarket, which has refused repeated calls to join Milk with Dignity, a worker-created program to protect farmworker rights.

On July 3rd, Richard Hulett, the owner of Deer Flats Farm and a member of the Pawlet Select Board, approached the workers’ housing, upset over a misunderstood conversation between workers earlier in the day. Farmworker Ulver Perez opened the door and was immediately attacked by his boss, who pulled him down the stairs and began hitting him.

According to Ulver: “He punched me repeatedly until I fell to the ground, using his metal [prosthetic] hand. He kept hitting me and I wasn’t able to defend myself. I pulled myself to my feet, but he cornered me against the bannister. He kept hitting me and began to choke me with the metal hand. He was holding my throat so tightly that I couldn’t breathe. I started to black out and thought I was going to die. I thought my boss would kill me and I would never see my family again.”

Read more to get the full story and take action to support Milk with Dignity!

A family has been deported to Honduras, in violation of the government’s legal protections for asylum seekers. Greisy Mejia, 29, came to the United States with her nine-year-old daughter and infant son fleeing for her life. Rather than allow her to apply for relief from deportation, immigration agents detained Greisy and her children yesterday in St. Albans, VT. 

As dozens of community members gathered for an emergency rally outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, Greisy and her children were driven away. They were put on a plane and deported to Honduras. ICE carried out this deportation despite protections guaranteeing individuals who express fear of persecution in their country of origin an interview with an asylum officer.

We denounce this cruel and horrific abuse. ICE needlessly and knowingly sent a family back to a country where their lives will be at risk – in violation of the law and the agency’s own guidelines. We hold ICE responsible for any harm that comes to Greisy and her family. This is an attack against the entire immigrant community. Migrant Justice mourns the deportation of this family and will continue to fight for their safe return to the United States.

Read more for the full press release!