Farm labor group,
Reynolds American
go back and forth over
human rights abuses
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Scores of people marched to the
Reynolds American building, where the
company's shareholders meeting was
being held on Thursday, May 7, to demand
the company act to ensure that its supply
chain is free of human rights abuses.
The Farm Labor Organizing
Committee. AFL-CIO (FLOC) then
marched to Lloyd Presbyterian Church, on
748 Chestnut St. and held a rally.
Baldemar Velasquez, president of
FLOC, a union that represents tobacco
farm workers in North Carolina and the
U.S. South, said, "We'll keep coming back
until Reynolds American decides to really
do something about the conditions farm
workers endure in North Carolina tobacco
fields. It took us five years just to sit down
and talk with Reynolds; this shows that our
actions are working."
FLOC is focusing on three areas:
reliance on human trafficliung {or the com
pany's labor supply on contract farms;
squalid conditions found in the labor
camps; and the state of fear of retaliation
for workers who complain about these
abuses.
Velasquez believes that only when
migrant farm workers have a recognized
worker organization can their complaints
about their working and living conditions
be effectively addressed. He wants
Reynolds American put into practice the
company's commitments to human rights
and sign an agreement guaranteeing free
dom of association on their contract farms.
After nearly three years of discussions
Reynolds American has yet to sign an
agreement with FLOC.
"It took its five years just to get a
meeting and we've been waiting for nearly
three years for a signed agreement"
Velasquez said. "How many more years
will it take before Reynolds American
signs an agreement with FLOC guarantee
ing freedom of association on their con
tract farms?"
"We had an extended Q. and A. ses
sions where folks were quite cordial," said
David Howard, media contact for
Reynolds American. "We had some good
back and forth, and good discussions on
matters of interest, so overall it was a very
good annual shareholders meeting.
"We were able to illustrate and give
summary of many things that R.J.
Reynolds has done in taking significant
steps to promote responsibility in the
tobacco supply chain in 2014, stressing
that we remain committed to finding ways
to make further improvements moving for
ward.
In 2014, in advance of FLOC's 2014
organizing campaign that the union had
last year, FLOC had expressed to us con
cern about having access to workers,
Howard said. 'To assist in that, we worked
with grower groups to educate growers
about the rights of access to FLOC, so
FLOC could come and communicate with
workers on the farm about the union. We
invited FLOC to inform us about any vio
lations of that right and we did not receive
a single report of a RJRT (RJ. Reynolds
Tobacco) grower denying workers access
to FLOC, so obviously I think that went
well.
"In last year's shareholder meeting,
FLOC had also said that workers might
suffer retaliation if asking for a raise or
complained about working conditions, so
RJ. Reynolds Tobacco company's 2015
Grower Contract expressly prohibits grow
ers from retaliating against workers for
seeking changes in the terms and the con
ditions of their employment.
This is in our contract language with
our growers."
Howard said Reynolds American offi
cials "feel we have listened to FLOC and
took direct action after listening to their
concerns, in an area where we can. That's
what's important here. ... We are working
very hard to make a difference."
Howard said that in Reynolds
American's grower contracts this year,
"we now prohibit the use of child labor. In
others words, growers can't employ work
ers under the age of 16. They can employ
16 and 17 year old workers only with writ
ten parental consent and only after they've
received safety training."
Photo by Erin MizeUe for the Winston-Snlem Chronicle
Jasmine Whaley, a community supporter of AFL-CIO, reacts during the rally as
she and hundreds of people of all races and ages join in support of the Farm
Labor Organizing Committee's efforts to end human rights abuses in North
Carolina tobacco fields.
BIG TENT PROJECT
iui ritrisity, u
junior at Wake
Forest
University and
president of the
multicultural
sorority Delta
XI PHI, stands
in front of The
Big Tent
Project, a proj
ect addressing
race relations
and diversity in
Winston-Salem
since 2011.
Members of the
multicultural sorority, Delta
XI PHI, and Wake Forest
student government show
case The Big Tent Project as
together they ask the ques
tion, "Who are you?" in
efforts to challenge
stereotypes and stop racism.
Photos by Erin Mizelle for the
Winston-Sakm Chronicle
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
A project addressing
race relations and diversity
in Winston- Salem reap
peared, this time at Wake
Forest University. It is
called "The Big Tent:
Transforming Race
Project."
In 2012, the project
traveled to different high
schools to discuss the topic
of race.
This project has been in
the works since 2011
through the Winston Salem
Human Relations
Department, Professor
David Finn at Wake Forest
University, and several
Wake Forest and Winston
Salem/Forsyth County stu
dents as well as a variety of
volunteers.
On Friday, April 24,
two Wake Forest organiza
tions, Delta Xi Phi
Multicultural Sorority and
Student Government,
brought a big tent to
Manchester Plaza with a
focus on identity and mis
representation.
"This is one of many
efforts held by student
groups on campus to take a
step toward living out our
motto of Pro Humanitate,
or "For Humanity" as we
have faced some issues in
the past school year relat
ing to race relations and
misrepresentation," said
Tai Hensley, president of
the Delta Xi Phi
Multicultural Sorority. "We
are hoping this project will
help our student communi
ty continue our journey
toward being an inclusive
environment for all stu
dents."
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