Bennington students join Migrant Justice to protest the mistreatment of migrant workers on Hannaford dairy farms and pressure the supermarket chain to sign a contract that they say will ensure basic rights for laborers.
Jesús Zúniga was working on a Hannaford-brand dairy farm when a malfunctioning tractor crushed his foot, breaking bones and severing tendons. He lost his big toe despite warning his supervisors three times that the machinery was not working properly. Jesús is one of the over 1,000 migrant farm workers in Vermont, many of which report suffering from workplace harassment, unsafe labor practices, and unsanitary living conditions.
On Saturday, March 22, among chants of “¡Sí Se Puede!” over 30 Bennington students joined Migrant Justice to protest at the entrance of the Bennington Hannafords. Migrant Justice, an organization advocating for human rights led by migrant farm workers in Vermont, is putting pressure on the Hannaford corporation to sign with their Milk with Dignity program. This program was created to ensure livable working conditions for local dairy farmers. This stop on Migrant Justice’s April organizing tour was coordinated by GANAS, a Bennington student-led organization dedicated to helping the Latino migrant population in Bennington County.
“We use so many dairy products in our everyday lives, and especially here in New England, everyone makes a big deal about Vermont cheese. Dairy is so intertwined to our lives that we don’t really think about the labor and suffering that goes into producing these products,’’ says Adrian Vidal, the student Migrant Justice representative at Bennington and a member of GANAS.
According to a 2014 Migrant Justice survey, many laborers at dairy farms across Vermont work as much as 60 to 80 hours a week without a single day off. 80% to 90% of workers on dairy farms are Latino, and many are undocumented. 40% report that they are not paid Vermont minimum wage.
José Ignacio, a dairy farm worker and organizer with Migrant Justice, recounted his experience on a dairy farm to Bennington students before the protest. He described rising before dawn to work from 3 am to 12 pm, returning to work at 3 pm, and working until midnight-with no day off.
José also lived on the farm where he worked and barely left the property. Supervisors would buy groceries for many of the workers who were afraid of border patrol. According to a report from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, around 2,000 laborers live on the dairy farms where they work. Many workers live in overcrowded spaces infested with rats and cockroaches and do not get a full night of sleep between shifts. If ill or injured, it is nearly impossible to rest. When a molar infection sent José to the hospital, a doctor ordered him to rest until he recovered. “It was very painful, so I rested for three days, but when I got back, my boss said I didn’t have a job anymore.”
In 2009, a 20-year-old migrant farm worker named José Obeth Santiz Cruz was strangled to death by his own clothing caught in a mechanized gutter scraper. The resulting outrage sparked the labor movement that eventually became Migrant Justice. Madeline Sharrow of Migrant Justice explained that their campaign works with brands at the top of the supply chains to improve farm life, pointing out that economic conditions often limit farm owners.
After initial resistance, Vermont-based ice cream company Ben and Jerry’s agreed to join Milk With Dignity in 2017. The 72 farms that supply Ben and Jerry’s are now paid a higher premium. Milk With Dignity representatives visit the farms to ensure that they follow the agreed-upon safety, health, and housing standards. In addition, farms are required to give laborers five sick days, five vacation days and pay them at least Vermont minimum wage.
The Hannafords supermarket chain is part of Dutch multinational corporation Ahold-Delhaize and owns about 200 stores supplied by dairy farms across the northeast. In 2017, Migrant Justice asked Hannafords to join their Milk With Dignity campaign. Hannaford declined, instead implementing the “Speak-Up Line” for workers making complaints. Hannaford dairy farmers called in, reporting health and safety concerns from living with black mold, rats, and broken heating in Vermont winter to a boss who threatened workers with a machete. According to Migrant Justice, the average wait time for a response was over ten weeks, and Hannaford ultimately dismissed every complaint.
Hannaford declined to comment. Milk With Dignity states that in previous discussions, Hannaford responded that their “Standards of Engagement.” sufficiently protect workers’ rights.
Migrant Justice encourages students to continue to put pressure on the Bennington Hannaford and post comments on Hannaford’s Instagram and Facebook asking them to join Milk With Dignity. On June 24th, Migrant Justice and its supporters will march on Hannaford’s headquarters in Portland, Maine.
“We know that there are good farms out there, and it doesn’t have to be like this,” says José Ignacio.
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