Migrant Justice Justicia Migrante

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

"Congratulations to everyone! We are a strong team. We have seen that we have a lot of power! By organizing and defining what we want we achieved this big step forward as workers. ¡Si Se Puede!"

-Jessica Ramirez, Migrant Justice Farmworker Coordinating Committee

Last week was an amazing week for Vermont dairy workers’ movement!

If you haven’t heard already we reached an important agreement with Ben & Jerry’s on the evening before 17 Milk with Dignity solidarity actions were planned at scoop shops across the nation!

This is a major step forward towards securing the fundamental human rights of farmworkers in Ben & Jerry’s supply chain. The heart of our agreement reads:

“This document represents Ben & Jerry’s commitment to work with Migrant Justice towards a written agreement to further detail and realize the essential elements of Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program that will be adopted within Ben & Jerry’s Northeast dairy supply chain."

Photo by Pat Jackson.

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

On the evening before 17 Milk with Dignity actions were planned at Ben & Jerry's scoop shops across the nation, Ben & Jerry's committed to work towards an agreement with farmworkers that contains the 5 essential elements of Migrant Justice's Milk with Dignity Program and to work to adopt the program into their Northeast dairy supply chain!  This is a big step forward on the road to securing fundamental worker's rights in Ben & Jerry's supply chain!

So Saturday's actions took on a more festive tone than envisioned From Hollywood, Florida, to San Francisco to Atlanta to New York City. Photos are beginning to come in demonstrating that communities across the nation are "screaming for fair ice cream" and are hungry for Ben & Jerry's to join the Milk with Dignity Program--because human rights cannot wait!

Here are some photos from the day's actions -- We'll keep updating this post as more come in!

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

FARMWORKERS ANNOUNCE STEP FORWARD AS BEN & JERRY’S COMMITS TO NEGOTIATE PARTICIPATION IN “MILK WITH DIGNITY PROGRAM”

Burlington, VT, 6/20/15, 12pm--Over 40 dairy farmworkers and dozens of community supporters gathered at the Migrant Justice office, in the old north end of Burlington, preparing to march to Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop on Church St to call on the ice cream company to join a new worker’s rights initiative--the Milk with Dignity Program. Before the march got underway Migrant Justice organizer Abel Luna broke the exciting campaign news to the big crowd, “Just yesterday Ben & Jerry's was in touch with Migrant Justice. They say they’ve heard the voices and hardships of farmworkers and have committed to work with Migrant Justice to negotiate an agreement in order to adopt the Milk with Dignity Program into their Northeast supply chain! So today, we are gathered here to recognize this significant step forward. At the same time we must continue to build a movement to demonstrate that people across the country are rallying to ensure that Ben & Jerry's walks with workers all the way to the finish line by signing the Milk with Dignity Agreement--because our human rights cannot wait!” Today, Migrant Justice also released an "Open Letter to Ben & Jerry's" signed by human rights and social justice organizations across the nation (available here).

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

On June 20th Take Action in solidarity with Vermont dairy farmworkers! 

Join Migrant Justice on June 20th to demonstrate to Ben & Jerry's the growing support across the country for farmworker's call for Ben & Jerry's to join the Milk with Dignity Program!  Everything you need to know about the action will be kept up to date here.

Migrant Justice to Ben & Jerry's: "History has shown us that corporation’s promises of good will, particularly those that involve worker’s rights, must be written down in binding and enforceable agreements with workers. Ben & Jerry’s expects business partners to sign contracts. Why should workers expect anything less?"

VT Dairy Farmworkers Call on Ben & Jerry's to Enter Human Rights Agreement

Burlington, VT. June 9th--Vermont dairy farmworkers had a much anticipated meeting with Ben & Jerry's social mission department ready to break new ground inviting Ben & Jerry's to stand up for the human rights of farmworkers in their supply chain by joining the Milk with Dignity Program.   

Migrant Justice provided an in-depth overview of this Worker-Driven Social Responsibility (WSR) program, modeled after the Fair Food Program in Florida, demonstrating how the 5 essential elements of their proposal work together to ensure farmworker's rights are secured in Ben & Jerry's supply chain. After a productive dialogue about each element farmworker leader Victor Diaz asked for action:

"Will Ben & Jerry's stand up for the fundamental rights of the human beings that milk the cows in your supply chain by negotiating an agreement with Migrant Justice?"

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

Check it out! Click on video:

The word is spreading across the nation:

VT dairy farmworkers are publicly calling on Ben & Jerry’s to meet and negotiate an agreement that will secure the rights of dairy workers in their supply chain. And thus far CEO Jostein Solheim has refused to meet with the dairy workers who put the cream in “Vermont’s finest Ice Cream”. 

Migrant Justice just released today a snapshot of survey results focusing in on conditions on the 38 of Ben & Jerry's farms that we surveyed in their supply chain. The results show that workplace conditions are actually worse in Ben & Jerry's supply chain as compared to the overall survey results.

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

On May Day a powerful grassroots movement of Vermont dairy farmworkers marched in the streets of Montpelier, VT with hundreds of workers and allies demanding Vermont step up its commitment to workers' rights.  Farmworker leader Enrique Balcazar told a crowd of supporters that dairy workers are fed up with wage theft, dangerous working conditions, no time off, substandard housing, and no enforcement of their rights. He offered farmworkers' solution:

"Join us for a national day of action on June 20th calling on Ben & Jerry's to take responsibility for these conditions in their supply chain. They've stood up to protect cows and chickens but not farmworkers! We need Milk with Dignity!"

***November 2016 Campaign Update: Migrant Justice and Ben & Jerry's agreed in May 2015 to work together to operationalize the Milk with Dignity Program in the Ben & Jerry's Supply Chain and have been working steadily towards that goal ever since!

Stay tuned for a May Day Milk with Dignity on-line petition and exciting national call for future summer actions at Ben & Jerry scoop shops across the nation!!!

Vermonters, join farmworkers on May Day!!

When: May 1st, 11:30 am-2:30pm

Where: Montpelier May Day Human Rights March, meet at City Hall 11:30, march to State House

What: Bring Empty Plastic Milk Jugs--fill it with rice and join our rockin' Milk with Dignity Brigade!

If you can't come: Stay tuned for petition launch, social media blitz, and summer national day of action announcement on May Day!!!

Register here to join us on May Day and get more info about the whole day here.