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Report: Tobacco Workers Denied Basic Human Rights
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Farm workers who toil in the tobacco fields of North Carolina often spend hours in the blistering sun and get paid less than the minimum wage. They are exposed to toxic chemicals just to do their jobs, according to a new report issued yesterday.
The report, “A State of Fear,” shows that one in four tobacco farm workers is paid less than the federal minimum wage. Many suffer from nicotine poisoning after absorbing nicotine through their bare skin. After a long day at work, they return to squalid living conditions such as overcrowded rooms with insect-infested mattresses and nonfunctioning toilets and showers.
The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) and Oxfam America released the report at a rally in Dudley, N.C., where farm workers and community supporters gathered for a series of meetings.
“This is nothing short of an indictment of the tobacco industry,” said FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez, who spent a week in 2008 in the fields as a tobacco farm worker so he could see firsthand what the workers face.
It’s stunning what these workers have to go through. The tobacco companies need to step up and change this abhorrent system.
The report calls for:
- - Manufacturers to respect the internationally recognized human rights of workers, including the right to freedom of association.
- - Industry leaders to create a council that brings together manufacturers, growers, farm workers and their chosen representatives to address conditions.
- - Manufacturers to work to ensure a stable industry by allowing more grower input in their pricing formulas.
Click here to read the full report.
“This should be a wakeup call to all of the actors in the tobacco supply chain. Hidden in plain view are the thousands of workers suffering daily indignities, ” said Minor Sinclair, director of Oxfam America’s U.S. Regional office.
A safe and humane working environment is not a radical vision—it should be the minimum standard upheld by all who produce and benefit from tobacco.
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12 Comments
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If only we still had Cesar Chavez! This is another case of “same-ole same-ole”.
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And legislators are earning their pay ???? Mr. Chavez was crusading against this very mistreatment of farm workers and even the mistreatment against the farm workers’ families if their families lived with them on the farm!
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Why haven’t things improved in our country? Well. I know why. The public has allowed The Repugnant commercial communist mafia cult Party to take over and the Democrats have nodded their heads and washed their hands of it saying “I didn’t do it” when they allowed permissive legislations or legislation-destroying malice was right before them when it was up for a vote!
you are absolutely right ….the Corporations are killing the U.S. ONE worker at a time….and this is 2012, my goodness people had better wake up and soon, everyone will be in debtor’s prisons or lying in the street dead, I don’t think our forefather’s invisioned this in the New Country, look what they did to the Native People’s what make’s us think it will be any different today, One worker at a time…dead
Lets see now . These are all illegal criminals and you are saying that they have rights. Where at do these rights come from? illegals and those who employee them have the right to go directly to jail , Also the DOJ and state and those who are supporting and giving substance that is not enforcing the illegal laws should go directly to jail for two years. Do not pass go and do not collect 200 dollars , Stay in jail for no less than two years . That is the only rights that I have heard of.
NO RIGHTS AND NO TAX MONEY FOR ILLEGALS OR VISA’S IN AMERICA.
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You left one important adjunct out, Suddencall. NO PAROLE when jail terms are mandated!
Good point. I’ll vote for that one. Illegal criminals taking our jobs is a no no. Democrats should know that and act accordingly , The democrats ask for money every day to to get re elected and then when they get in they turn on us and all the money we donated is wasted. What a bunch on ignoramuses.If people had any choice they would not get a vote, They stink so bad it is like trying to get in bed with a skunk or worse.They do more harm than they do good. But republican terrorists are even worse,How can that be? Americans ? I think not.
The “Report” calls for 3 things, two of which are for “Industry leaders to create a council that brings together manufacturers, growers, farm workers and their chosen representatives to address conditions; and for “Manufacturers to work to ensure a stable industry by allowing more grower input in their pricing formulas.” Well, such a committee did exist in the late 1800s – it was called “the Grange.” Perhaps that concept should be revisited, or if it still does exist, perhaps we should look into why it’s not working as it should.
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When I lived on Vickie Bates’ farm for a couple of months in Notus Idaho during 2003, she drove me around and showed me the area and she pointed out some of the Grange buildings because the Grange is still active in Idaho.
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Those Grange buildings were starting to look dilapidated, and Vickie explained that there aren’t enough young people on the farms today to keep the Grange maintenance and attendance up !!!!
…and by the way, it’s very presumptious to say these farm workers are “illegal criminals.” How could you POSSIBLY know that? and if you would just take the time to realize that the rights being talked about would benefit ALL farm workers – how can you possibly presume ALL farm workers are “illegal criminals?” I agree with you all that the “Parties” and the “Corportations” are to blame for everything, but it’s illogical to make the jump to not letting “farm workers” make a decent wage and have basic human rights because YOU have sterotyped them as “illegal criminals.”
Hey suddencall, you just showed your true self. At no point did you call the employers who are abusing these “illegal criminals” criminals themselves. If the fed and the states would crack down on the employers and corporations that use this type of labor, they would use less of it and more home grown labor. But, money talks and your bs walks.
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Lynda, what is the reason you made the statement “…and by the way, it’s very presumptious to say these farm workers are “illegal criminals.” How could you POSSIBLY know that?” ????
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Are you purposefully trying to REVERSE the nature of people being in our USA ILLEGALLY ??? Because that is what it looks like to me. And if that is the case, Lynda, then you are “barking up the wrong tree” as we say, because there is not going to be any excuse that we will accept for people being here in our country ILLEGALLY.
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We have not addressed how we determine an illegal, only that illegals need to be held accountable. And in that instance, it will be known if persons in our USA are illegal WHEN they are caught, and our authorities have all of the legal and humane authorities and protocols and methods to determine any person’s illegality, because it is actually quite simple, really.
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And NOBODY here has fit your highly prejudicial statement of “…possibly presume ALL farm workers are “illegal criminals…” because NONE of us have!
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“ALL farmworkers” ??????????????
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Don’t get all excited and start slinging extortions of the truth, even a child would know that NOT ALL farm workers are illegals! That prejudice is REALLY stretching it !!!!!!!!
The tobacco company threaten me for signing a letter comdemning
the action the company took against the union.
The tobacco company threaten me for signing a letter comdemning
the action they took against the union.