Farmworkers & Allies Deliver Thousands of Postcards Calling on Hannaford CEO to Uphold Farmworker Rights

PHOTO: Farmworkers and allies in front of Hannaford Headquarters in Scarborough on May 24.

A group of farmworkers from the organization Migrant Justice and their supporters gathered at the Scarborough headquarters of Hannaford Brothers on May 24 to ask company CEO Mike Vail to join the Milk With Dignity program. The program creates legal agreements between corporate buyers like Hannaford and suppliers that ensure fair wages and worker safety protections. The workers brought with them a box stuffed with thousands of signed postcards asking Hannaford to join Milk with Dignity.

"We are here because Hannaford has refused to sit at the table with farmworkers to talk about a real solution called Milk With Dignity, a program led by workers," said Marita Canedo, a Milk with Dignity Coordinator for Migrant Justice. "It's a shame that they celebrate their profits, how much money they are making, but put their efforts and resources into security and police to intimidate workers, while workers are showing that the conditions they live in are terrible and inhumane. So we ask Mike Vail to sit at the table and talk with farm workers about joining Milk with Dignity."

Currently, farmworkers are excluded from federal labor laws like the National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act. In Maine recently, Governor Janet Mills once again vetoed a bill that would provide at least some of the protections other workers enjoy.

When the group entered Hannaford headquarters, employees locked the front doors and were told that someone would come down to speak with them. After a long wait, a man entered the foyer and told the group that the police had been called, and requested that the group leave the property. The group walked to the public right-of-way next to the busy road, where they formed a circle. Passing drivers saw the bright signs and many honked in support.

Translating back and forth between English and Spanish, farmworkers shared stories of their experiences and the urgent need for better housing, health, and safety protections on farms.  

The group was monitored by police and by security personnel stationed on top of the Hannaford building. When the workers disbanded, police followed them to their cars and wrote down their license plate numbers.

Garrett Stewart, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute Maine Chapter, was one of a number of Mainers who joined the farmworkers in delivering the message. He said he’s been appalled to learn about the conditions for farmworkers in Maine, many of whom labor for just $12 per hour in extreme heat while living in substandard housing.

“All this is is modern day slavery,” said Stewart. “Now is the time to put our money where our mouth is. We need farmworkers to see that we support them wholeheartedly.”

Special thanks to Lorri Nandrea, who contributed to this story.