| | | Religious Leaders for Tobacco Worker Justice Dear (Contact First Name), I am writing you out of concern for thousands of farm workers who labor in the tobacco fields of North Carolina and the South. I invite you as a person of faith to add your name to the attached "Open Letter by Religious Leaders to Mr. Daniel Delen, CEO of Reynolds American Inc.(RAI) and the RAI Board of Directors." Many of you have appealed to RAI previously; and we greatly appreciate the support that helped bring about an initial meeting on June 5th between Farm Labor Organizing Committee President Baldemar Velasquez and. Martin Holman III, RAI Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Now that RAI is meeting with FLOC, we are calling on Reynolds American to work with FLOC to develop a written agreement establishing a process guaranteeing freedom of association and collective bargaining for tobacco farm workers in the Reynolds American supply chain. In this way, Reynolds American will affirm the authentic voices of the tobacco farm workers, address common concerns, identify and work toward eliminating abuses in the supply chain, and ultimately improve the living and working conditions of these farm workers. Although Reynolds American, one of the largest tobacco companies in the US, does not directly employ tobacco farm workers, by contracting with tobacco growers, Reynolds establishes standards which directly affect the living and working conditions of tobacco farm workers, both within its supply chain and even beyond.
Join other people of faith around the US and sign on to this Open Letter - letting Reynolds American know that you care about tobacco farm workers. Gratefully, Virginia Nesmith, NFWM Executive Director |
| | Instructions for Signing on to the Open Letter |
| To add your name: by Mail: Download the Authorization Form; fill it out and sign; and mail to Religious Leaders for Tobacco Farm Worker Justice, c/o NFWM, 438 North Skinker Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130. Your sign-on should be returned so that it is received by August 22, 2012 or as soon as possible. Call Virginia Nesmith, National Farm Worker Ministry, at 314-726-6470 with any questions or concerns |
| Religious Leaders for Tobacco Farm Worker Justice DOWNLOAD OPEN LETTER 438 North Skinker Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63130 August 27, 2012 Mr. Daniel Delen President and CEO Reynolds American Inc. 401 North Main St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Dear Mr. Delen: Greetings. We are religious leaders from many diverse faith traditions who have a common belief that all persons are created in the image of God and share a commitment to these principles: - The intrinsic value of all people to meaningful employment, an adequate income and livable wage;
- The rights of workers to organize for their own safety, job security without the fear of harassment, discrimination or job loss;
- The rights of all people to decent health care, adequate housing , and education;
- The rights of working people to self-empowerment by having a seat at the decision-making table; and
- Justice for farm workers who are some of the most vulnerable workers in our society.
We are writing you because you are the President and CEO of Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), one of the largest producers of tobacco products in the US. We understand that your Company has begun meeting with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) to discuss issues relating to improving the working and living the conditions of farm workers and the elimination of human rights abuses in the tobacco supply chain. While we recognize that the tobacco farm workers are not directly employed by RAI, your company effectively controls pricing and procurement processes with its contract growers. In that capacity, RAI has the power to facilitate needed changes in the fields. As persons of faith we share in the mutual commitment of RAI and FLOC to recognize the human rights of each farm worker and to provide safe and acceptable working conditions. We also believe in the importance of mutual dialogue where all parties work together to address common concerns and where all have a seat at the table. In order to strengthen these commitments, we call on Reynolds American Inc. to work with FLOC to develop a written agreement establishing a process guaranteeing freedom of association and collective bargaining for tobacco farm workers in the Reynolds American supply chain. In this way, Reynolds American will affirm the authentic voices of the tobacco farm workers, address common concerns, identify and work toward eliminating abuses in the supply chain, and ultimately improve the living and working conditions of tobacco farm workers. We will contact you to confirm that you have received this letter, and to learn what progress is being made toward reaching such an agreement. We trust God's Spirit to lead to you forward in your discussions with FLOC as you mutually discover ways to better the lives of thousands of farm workers in the supply chain; and with hope for a better future for these farm workers, we look to your leadership in these matters. Faithfully, List of Signers follows. *Organizations listed for identification purposes only. Please note: Mr. Delen and each of the twelve other RAI Directors will receive this letter. |
| RELIGIOUS LEADERS FOR TOBACCO FARM WORKER JUSTICE DOWNLOAD FORM AUTHORIZATION FORM I permit my name to be used on "AN OPEN LETTER BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO MR. DANIEL DELEN, CEO OF REYNOLDS AMERICAN INC., AND THE RAI BOARD OF DIRECTORS." I understand that the letter may be reproduced and distributed to the press and the general public. Please return this form to RELIGIOUS LEADERS FOR TOBACCO FARM WORKER JUSTICE, c/o NFWM, 438 North Skinker Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130 or fax : 314-726-6427 or email: RLTFJustice@aol.com Call Virginia Nesmith, National Farm Worker Ministry, at 314-726-6470 with any questions. Please return by August 22, 2012. PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT CLEARLY: NAME:___________________________________________________________________________________ TITLE:___________________________________________________________________________________ *ORGANIZATION:_______________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________________________ CITY: ________________________________________________ STATE: _______ ZIP: _______________ PHONE: (O) ___________________________________ (H) _______________________________________ FAX: _____________________________ EMAIL: _____________________________________________ SIGNATURE:_____________________________________________________________________________ *Organizations will be listed with your name on the Open Letter for identification purposes only. |
FLOC AND REYNOLDS AMERICAN INC. FACT SHEET DOWNLOAD FACT SHEET - The Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC) represents farm workers who pick tobaccounder a collective bargaining agreement with the North Carolina Growers Association (NCGA). FLOC is organizing to gain representation for thousands of other tobacco farm workers in North Carolina and the South. Since the settlement of the five year boycott of the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, FLOC and the NCGA have had a collective bargaining agreement, providing historic labor rights to 6,000 immigrant farm workers employed with H2A guest worker visas who harvest cucumbers, tobacco, sweet potatoes and other crops. FLOC also represents farm workers in Michigan and Ohio, and its headquarters are based in Toledo, OH. Mr. Baldemar Velasquez is the president of FLOC.
- Reynolds American Inc. (RAI), based in Winston-Salem, NC, is one of the largest tobacco companies in the United States. In 2011, Reynolds made $1.4 billion in profits. Mr. Daniel Delen is President and CEO of the Company with a 2011 pay package amounted to $8.5 million. RAI has a Board of Directors comprised of 13 members. British American Tobacco (BAT) based in London is RAI's largest shareholder and owns 42.05% of RAI. It also nominates five members of the RAI Board of Directors.
- Although Reynolds does not directly employ tobacco farm workers, by contracting with tobacco growers, it influences standards which directly affect the living and working conditions of tobacco farm workers, both within its supply chain and even beyond.Through its contracts with growers, Reynolds can affect the living and working conditions of tobacco farm workers.
- Tobacco farm workers in the South are primarily from Mexico, and suffer from disgraceful and inhumane working and living conditions. Many work without legal documentation and are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. The statistics speak for themselves: A North Carolina farm worker earns, on average, only about one-third that of the federal poverty level for a family of four. Half of farm worker households cannot afford to adequately feed their families and more than one-third of housing for farm workers on the East Coast is severely inadequate or unfit for human habitation. Moreover, tobacco farm workers frequently suffer from acute nicotine poisoning, or "green tobacco sickness," as well as heat stroke and pesticide exposure. Green tobacco sickness is "a debilitating disease that causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness and, in severe cases, dehydration," according to a March 23, 2009 article in The Wall Street Journal, documenting the health hazards of tobacco farm workers.
- A recent Oxfam America-FLOC report, "A state of fear: Human rights abuses in North Carolina's tobacco industry," highlights the onerous conditions workers face in the tobacco fields of North Carolina. (See the full Oxfam America - FLOC report at www.floc.com)
- On June 5, 2012, FLOC President Velasquez met with Mr. Martin Holman III, RAI Executive Vice President and General Counsel, at FLOC headquarters in Toledo, OH. FLOC has been requesting a meeting with RAI since October 2007, to discuss ways that Reynolds can work towards ensuring safer and healthier conditions and the labor and human rights of tobacco farm workers in the supply chain, but Reynolds had previouslyrefused to meet directly with FLOC.
- This direct meeting with RAI came after years of campaigning and with the support of individuals and groups across the US and globally. President Velasquez had direct meetings with British American Tobacco, Reynolds largest owner, in London, before FLOC met directly with RAI. (Please visit www.floc.com to find out more about the campaign.) FLOC President Velasquez reported that the discussions with RAI were positive. However, the campaign to bring justice to the tobacco fields of the South is not over until agreements are signed ensuring the basic rights of the workers.
For more information contact Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO at 419-243-3456 or go to: www.floc.com |
| Co-Conveners of this OPEN LETTER BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO MR. DANIEL DELEN, CEO OF REYNOLDS AMERICAN INC. AND THE RAI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sr. Karen Bernhardt HM, National Director, Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network (Canton, OH)
Rev. Dr. Nelson N. Johnson, Executive Director, Beloved Community Center (Greensboro, NC) Rev. Michael Livingston, Director, NCC Poverty Initiative, National Council of Churches (Washington, DC) Ms. Virginia Nesmith, Executive Director, National Farm Worker Ministry (St. Louis, MO) Fr. John S. Rausch, Director, Catholic Committee of Appalachia (Stanton, KY) The Rev Jim Sessions, Interfaith Worker Justice, East Tennessee (Knoxville, TN) Ms. Tena Willemsma, Coordinator, Religious Leaders for Coal Field Justice (Winchester, VA) * |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment