LCLAA AND COLORADO JOBS WITH JUSTICE ADDRESS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.

Delegation delivering the letter to H.M. Consul General Kevin Lynch. 

DENVER—The Labor Council for Latin American Advance (LCLAA), Colorado Jobs with Justice, and community activists, led a delegation on behalf of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), the AFL-CIO, the TUC, the Geneva-based federation of food and agriculture workers, IUF, and American church groups into the British Consulate to deliver a letter to British Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald at the British Embassy in Washington, DC addressing human rights abuses.

The letter and delegation addressed the widespread and egregious human rights abuses against U.S. tobacco field workers involving a British-based corporation, British American Tobacco (BAT), which owns the controlling shares in the U.S. tobacco giant Reynolds American.

"These workers are scared to exercise their most basic human right.  The right and freedom to associate and collectively work to together to raise standards, living conditions, and fight for a living wage,"  stated Russell Bannan with Colorado Jobs with Justice.  "At Reynolds and out in the fields there is a culture that is conditioning this type of fear and it is unacceptable."

LCLAA Denver Metro President Solomon Juarez who organized the delegation and asked, "Is it too much to ask that farm workers be treated like human beings?" After a few seconds Kevin Lynch, Consul General, responded "No."

The delegation was part of an International call to protect human rights of U.S. tobacco farm workers. Similar delegations and letters were delivered to consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. 

Tomorrow in London, at BAT’s annual shareholders’ meeting, FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez will present a new report detailing the abuses of workers in the U.S. tobacco supply chain and will urge BAT to take immediate steps to ensure that all of the companies in its supply chain respect and follow the standards spelled out in the company’s corporate code of conduct.

“We are urging the company to back up its words of support for human rights with monitoring and enforcement,” said Velasquez. “Through its control of Reynolds, BAT has the power and the moral obligation to take action to end these abuses.”

AUDIO:  Listen to the interview from AM760's The Mario Solis-Marich Show with Russell Bannan

DENVER ACTIVISTS JOIN INTERNATIONAL CALL TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS OF U.S.TOBACCO FARM WORKERS

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:    Wednesday, April 27, 12 NOON

WHERE:                                  British Consulate -1675 Broadway Denver, CO (

British Embassy in Washington, DC, and Consulates in Atlanta, Boston,

Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

CONTACTS:                           In Denver:  Russell Bannan 864-978-9374 (C), rpbannan@gmail.com

                                               FLOC contact: Nancy Coleman 301-587-1034 (O); 301-537-0172 (C)

DENVER ACTIVISTS JOIN INTERNATIONAL CALL TO PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS

OF U.S.TOBACCO FARM WORKERS

Community leaders urge British Consulate to help end tobacco industry abuses

At noon on Wednesday, April 27, union and community leaders will hand-deliver a letter to British Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, asking him to urge British American Tobacco (BAT), which owns the controlling share in the U.S. tobacco giant Reynolds American, to end “widespread and egregious” human rights abuses against U.S. tobacco field workers.

In Denver, a copy of that letter will be delivered to the British Consulate by Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Denver Area Labor Federation, and Colorado Jobs with Justice. Similar deliveries are slated for the consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco. 

The letter cites “widespread and egregious violations” on tobacco farms in North Carolina, which supplies the largest share of the U.S.-grown crop. These include:

“.  . . tobacco farm workers in North Carolina are exposed to pesticides and nicotine poisoning in the fields—while they endure squalid farm labor housing.  There is no protection for these workers if they complain or are fired for seeking union representation to help them improve their working and living conditions. . .

“We believe you will agree that these workers’ desperate situation is something that no civilized society can tolerate, and we hope that you will use your good offices to urge BAT to take a leadership role in safeguarding human rights by insisting that the companies and suppliers they do business with must abide by the same code of corporate social responsibility they established for their own company.”

In London on Thursday, April 28, at BAT’s annual shareholders’ meeting, FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez will present a new report detailing the abuses of workers in the U.S. tobacco supply chain and will urge BAT to take immediate steps to ensure that all of the companies in its supply chain respect and follow the standards spelled out in the company’s corporate code of conduct.

“We are urging the company to back up its words of support for human rights with monitoring and enforcement,” said Velasquez. “Through its control of Reynolds, BAT has the power and the moral obligation to take action to end these abuses.”

Community Leaders Outraged by "Secure Communities Program"

COMMUNITY LEADERS EXPRESS OUTRAGE OVER SECURE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM, CALL ON GOVENOR RITTER TO REVERSE EXECUTIVE ORDER

DENVER, CO- Concerned community members, human rights advocates, journalists, clergy, business owners, authors, political activists, labor union leaders, and educators are outraged at Governor Bill Ritter’s Executive Order to introduce Colorado into the federal Secure Communities Program. This program authorizes law enforcement agencies to execute federal immigration laws, creating an environment conducive to racial profiling, harassment and discrimination targeting immigrants and Latinos residing or visiting the State of Colorado.  

“This Executive Order is bad social and economic policy at a time when the Latino and immigrant community are besieged by anti-immigrant sentiment and additional funds necessary to implement this order will further strain limited state resources. The Executive Order is a wrongheaded approach to solve the immigration issue in Colorado. The implementation of these policies can hinder rather than attain public safety when it increases community mistrust of the police; the same people we should trust to protect us rather than racially profile us and separate us from our families.” stated Solomon Juarez, President of the Denver Metro Chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA). “The impact of this policy will be felt not just by immigrants but also the broader Latino community.”

“Any legislation that will jeopardize the wellbeing of children and families in Colorado should not be implemented.  Governor Ritter’s Executive Order will tear families apart and hurt the social fabric of communities in Colorado.   Our communities deserve commonsense legislation that promotes public safety while ensuring the well-being of our children.  We reap what we sow and we can do better than policies that leave households without breadwinners and children without their loved ones,” declared Bernadette Jiron, Denver Federation of Paraprofessionals and Nutrition Service Employees President.

Over 30 community leaders signed the Open Letter to Governor Ritter to address their concern of the Secure Communities Program.  “We will not tolerate such an undemocratic order which incentivizes racial profiling, condones authoritarianism, and potentially divides our communities,” the letter continues by stating “Allowing the implementation of the Secure Communities Program would send a very troubling message and be viewed, by many, as a sign that state democracy and human rights are not valued or tolerated within Colorado. In our view, this would have negative consequences for the families directly affected, the state of Colorado itself, and the United States as a whole.”

Now more than ever, community leaders urge reversing the Executive Oorder that dishonors the rights and dignity of all people. The well-being and security of our nation depends on it.

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An Open Letter of Concern To Governor Bill Ritter About the Secure Communities Program

posted by Russell Bannan