Oxfam: Like Machines, Nearly Two Million U.S. Farmworkers Labor Without Rights; Report Brings Together Human Rights Leaders in Fla.

U.S. Newswire › March 15, 2004

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IMMOKALEE, Fla., March 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Big brand companies in the fresh produce industry are driving down employment conditions for millions of farmworkers in the U.S., according to a new study by international development agency Oxfam America. The report is part of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign, which today brought together human rights leaders, farmworkers and others in Immokalee, Florida to call on corporations, the government and consumers to act.

Around the globe and across different industries, brand name buyers are undermining labor standards by squeezing their supply chain to provide cheaper products and stricter standards. Producers, in turn, must substantially reduce their labor costs or be forced out of business. Instead of receiving a fair share in the advantages of increased global trade, workers are paying the price by working harder usually for less money under more hazardous conditions.

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Oxfam: Like Machines, Nearly Two Million U.S. Farmworkers Labor Without Rights; Report Brings Together Human Rights Leaders in Fla.

"In the United States, farmworkers are systematically excluded from basic core labor rights which other American workers enjoy: th...

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