Dairy Industry

El mismo comité examinó si los trabajadores agrícolas deberían tener derechos de negociación colectiva — pero en última instancia no hizo una recomendación a la Legislatura de Vermont.

The same committee examined whether farmworkers should have collective bargaining rights — but ultimately didn’t make a recommendation to the Vermont Legislature.

The USDA issued a federal order requiring states to begin testing their milk supply for the virus that causes bird flu.

The survey — focused on farms not covered by a grassroots farmworker labor and housing rights program — shows a vast majority of Spanish-speaking immigrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont make below minimum wage, work six to seven days a week and are hurt on the job.

Vermont filmmaker Rocket's latest video series, 'Small Vermont Businesses in Small Vermont Towns,' features a profile on Irasburg's Nelson Farms.

Members of Migrant Justice held a press conference in West Pawlet last month to denounce the alleged assaults of a farmworker and his nephew. The farm owner has since been issued a citation for two counts of misdemeanor simple assault.

Migrant Justice representatives flew to the Netherlands this week to attend the shareholders meeting for Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Hannaford. They continue to ask that Hannaford join the labor and housing rights program Milk With Dignity.

Last week, the Agency of Agriculture offered thousands of tire sidewalls to farmers for free in an effort to cut down on mosquito breeding habitat and limit the spread of disease like West Nile virus. Since then, nearly all the cut-up tires have been claimed.

University of Virginia researchers say the complaint line run by the grassroots workers’ rights program Milk With Dignity improves conditions for both farmworkers and farm owners. But the program currently only covers one-fifth of Vermont’s dairy industry.

Investigadoras de la Universidad de Virginia dicen que la línea telefónica de quejas dirigida por el programa de derechos de los trabajadores agrícolas, Leche Con Dignidad, mejora las condiciones tanto para los trabajadores como para los propietarios de granjas. Pero, el programa actualmente solo cubre un quinto de la industria láctea de Vermont.