Migrant Justice Justicia Migrante

The National Farm Worker Ministry has been organizing faith communities since 1920 to support farmworkers. They were a key pillar of solidarity in the United Farm Workers’ historic grape boycotts of the 1960s. Now the NFWM is throwing their support behind dairy workers’ fight for Milk with Dignity!

Now, the Ministry is holding their annual Board of Directors meeting at the Migrant Justice office in Vermont. Faith leaders from around the country are gathering to chart the future of the organization and build relationships with dairy workers organizing for human rights and economic justice. On July 28th, NFWM and Migrant Justice will join forces to picket Hannaford Supermarkets and call on the grocery chain to join the Milk with Dignity Program.

Come out to the picket line on 7/28 at 5:30pm in South Burlington to join farmworkers and faith leaders demanding Milk with Dignity!

Click “Read More” to get the full story and learn about another black mark on Hananford’s human rights record.

On June 24th, hundreds of farmworkers and allies from around the region converged in Portland, Maine for a mass march on Hannaford Supermarkets. Led by three bus-loads from Vermont, marchers traversed Hannaford’s hometown to bring a clear message that workers and consumers demand Milk with Dignity.

Dairy worker Emilio capped the march with a rousing speech in front of the final Hannaford store:

“On my farm we want to see better housing, better pay, vacations – things we don’t have now. We want to see improvements on these farms and that’s what we’re demanding from Hannaford. This march is a big step forward; the more who take action, the better. Because there is strength in numbers, strength in unity, and we are a community united. We know what we want and we’re here to fight for it.”

Read more to see the photo-report and read Hannaford’s response!

The AFL-CIO of Maine, representing 200 union locals and 40,000 workers across the state, has endorsed the Milk with Dignity campaign and called on Hannaford Supermarkets to join the program. This major endorsement follows support from national faith communities, food and agriculture groups, elected officials, grassroots organizations, and Hannaford’s own shareholders.

The endorsement from organized labor in Hannaford’s home state also comes on the eve of the upcoming Milk with Dignity march in Portland, Maine. This Saturday, farmworkers and allies will march through Portland to denounce the severe human rights abuses in Hannaford’s supply chain, call out the grocery chain’s cynical attempts to sweep abuses under the rug, and urge the company to join the Milk with Dignity program.

This Saturday at 2pm: march with farmworkers in Portland to demand Milk with Dignity!

Last month saw an unprecedented level of support for Milk with Dignity. Throughout April, farmworkers toured across the northeast, holding 50 organizing meetings, taking action at dozens of Hannaford stores, and connecting with hundreds of new supporters. We capped the Organizing Tour with a spirited Mayday celebration along with others in the labor movement. On International Workers Day, Hannaford received hundreds of calls from customers, as well as new endorsement letters from unions, grassroots organizations, and over 50 state legislators demanding Milk with Dignity. And the following day, Migrant Justice was honored by a recognition from the Vermont House of Representatives.

Now we are announcing the next step in the Milk with Dignity campaign. On Saturday, June 24th, hundreds will converge in Portland, ME – near Hannaford’s corporate headquarters – in a mass march demanding Milk with Dignity. Join us on 6/24 at 2pm in Portland, Maine to march on Hannaford!

After a month on the road, we have wrapped up the Milk with Dignity Organizing Tour! Over the past four weeks, we held more than 50 tour stops, meeting with communities across seven states to build support for the Milk with Dignity campaign and to take action at Hannaford Supermarkets around the region. 

This was the most ambitious tour that Migrant Justice has ever undertaken, and it was a resounding success. In churches and synagogues, at schools and colleges, in public libraries and on community farms, we connected with hundreds of new supporters and mobilized them to push Hannaford to join Milk with Dignity. Press coverage of the tour brought the message to thousands more.

With pressure mounting on Hannaford, we are asking supporters to call the company headquarters and urge them to meet with farmworkers. Throughout the campaign, thousands of people have called the office of Hannaford President Mike Vail to show their solidarity. Today, International Workers’ Day, take a minute to make a call: tell Hannaford that you want Milk with Dignity!

Make sure to “Read More” to get the full story and read the latest endorsement letters from grassroots organizations and elected officials!

The Milk with Dignity Organizing Tour is entering its final week! Throughout April, farmworkers have traveled to seven states, holding organizing meetings and taking action at Hannaford stores across the region. Now we’re in the home stretch! And with a couple late additions, the final count of tour stops will be 52.

The past three weeks have been incredible: we have connected with hundreds of new campaign supporters in libraries and churches, schools and universities, and farms and community centers. Farmworkers and allies have passed out flyers to customers, talked with managers, and rallied at Hannafords across the region.

When the tour wraps up, we will hold a call-in day on May 1st, International Workers’ Day. All throughout the day on 5/1, we will flood Hannaford’s phone lines with calls from supporters urging the company to join the Milk with Dignity Program. Mark your calendars to make a call on Mayday!

We are halfway through the Milk with Dignity Organizing Tour! Over the past two weeks, farmworkers have traveled across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, holding 25 organizing meetings with communities and taking action at Hannaford Supermarkets to demand Milk with Dignity. The next two weeks will take us to New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as the Dignity Tour heads farther south.

As farmworkers connect with Hannaford customers in schools, churches, farms, and libraries around the northeast, Hannaford’s parent company – Dutch multinational Ahold Delhaize – held its annual meeting of shareholders and Board of Directors. Migrant Justice participated in the shareholder meeting and shared a new, in-depth analysis of the failures of Hannaford’s Speak-Up Line to protect farmworkers – even by the company’s own metrics! – contrasted with the benefits of Milk with Dignity.

Read more to learn about Hannaford's latest excuses, as they double down on their failed complaint line in an attempt to dismiss worker demands for Milk with Dignity.

Throughout the month of April, Migrant Justice will be on the road, connecting with supporters and taking action for Milk with Dignity. We will hold more than 50 organizing meetings across seven states. Farmworkers and organizers will connect with audiences to share the successes of the Milk with Dignity program and help communities join the struggle for farmworker rights!

Click “Read More” to see an interactive map and a full schedule of the Milk with Dignity Organizing Tour – and find the details for a tour stop near you!