A recent New York Times articleabout illegal child labor raised questions about working conditions at Vermont dairies. This hour, we’ll look at how the state and local activists are responding.
Vermont's child labor laws were written with family farms in mind, before the state had hundreds of migrant workers, including some below the age of 18. Vermont's labor commissioner will explain what types of jobs are and are not legal for Vermont minors. Organizers with Migrant Justice will talk about the ways some in the dairy industry are guaranteeing the rights of workers are not violated, such as the Milk With Dignity program.
Our guests are:
- Michael Harrington, Vermont labor commissioner
- Will Lambek, organizer with Migrant Justice, a human rights organization founded and led by immigrant farmworkers in Vermont
- Marita Canedo, organizer with Migrant Justice who coordinates its Teleayuda hotline
- Elodie Reed, a Vermont Public digital producer and reporter who covers the dairy industry
Note: We invited Ben & Jerry's and its parent company, Unilever, to be included in this episode, but they didn't not respond. Ben & Jerry's spokesman Sean Greenwood responded with the company's statementfrom February.
Broadcast live on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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