LOCAL
With new Darigold complaints, UFW again appeals to Starbucks
The following is from the United Farm Workers:
Echoing his comments at the March 20 shareholders meeting, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is still weighing in and urging Starbucks to take action to protect the dairy workers within their supply chain.
This week’s complaints of wage theft and other labor law violations involve nine dairy workers in eastern Washington, all on Darigold member farms. The complainants describe a pattern of wage theft, a failure to provide rest and meal breaks, and a failure to keep record of hours worked and provide accurate pay statements as required by law. The conditions outlined in the complaints conflict with Darigold’s claim that they independently audit dairy farms to ensure compliance with employment laws. Contrasting the plaintiffs’ work experiences at Darigold member farms against Darigold’s claims of independent audits, the lawsuits assert “those statements by NDA/Darigold are unfounded, mistaken, or simply false.”
“These latest complaints illustrate perfectly how endemic in nature labor law violations are on Darigold member farms,” said UFW President Teresa Romero. “Washington state’s Department of Labor and Industries has issued hundreds of citations for workplace violations by the state’s dairies, with just under half of them deemed ‘serious,’ and the plight of workers on many of these dairies is dire. Any retailer with Darigold milk in their supply chain should be concerned about this.”
One complainant, Sonia Rosales, describes the experience of working on a Darigold member farm to support her two children. “I have been doing farmwork for over 20 years, but I found it strange that on the dairy I wasn’t getting any rest or meal breaks.” She realized labor laws were not being followed, but didn’t feel that she could speak up without risking her job. “I am a single parent, and I needed this job to provide for my girls. I eventually realized that if I had been paid properly for the hours I worked, I would have been able to provide another meal for my children.”
Another complainant, Gilberto Ramirez has been working in the dairy industry for around 13 years. A father of three children, he cited his exhaustion as interfering with his family life. “Since I don’t get adequate rest breaks and meal breaks like the law requires, I get home to my kids totally exhausted. Working these long shifts without meal breaks leaves me too stressed and tired to have the energy to take care of what I need to do at home.”
Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer, visibly moved by Jorge’s question, stated she was “personally disturbed” by what Jorge’s mother had experienced, and pledged to act: “You’ll see more work here from us in this area.” (Watch the exchange here.)
UFW President Teresa Romero concluded simply, saying “A week after that pledge from Ms. Brewer, these new complaints highlight the urgency of that work that needs to be done.”