The summer heat has started. A "heat dome" recently brought triple digit temperatures to parts of the Western United States in early June – with temps topping 110° in some areas. It's the first major heat wave of what's expected to be another abnormally hot summer. Farm workers and other outdoor workers desperately need a federal heat standard.
See this urgent alert from United Farm Workers (UFW). Click here to take action to protect farm workers now!
Public Citizen's Trade Justice project has a new in-depth report called Corporate Colonization of Latin America: How ISDS Harms Indigenous Communities, which explores ISDS’s colonial roots and the disproportionate harm it has caused to Indigenous peoples across Latin America. The report is available now both as a website and as a PDF, so give it a look and please consider sharing it on social media or on any lists!
To release the report, earlier this month we hosted a special delegation of Latin American Indigenous leaders in Washington, DC to speak with policymakers, diplomats, and civil society about the adverse impacts of corporate trade policy on their communities.
The Northeast Ohio Worker Center (NEOWC) and the Young Latino Network have partnered to host monthly wage theft clinics to educate and empower workers in the region. Wage theft, which includes unpaid overtime and misclassification of workers, is a significant issue, costing workers billions annually. The NEOWC, established in 2019, aims to support non-unionized workers by educating them about their rights and connecting them with legal services. The clinics provide bilingual support and help workers understand and exercise their labor rights, including protections against discrimination and wage theft, regardless of immigration status. The NEOWC offers various resources and referrals to assist workers in advocating for fair treatment in the workplace.
It is imperative that the government of Colombia provide effective protection measures to land rights and human rights defenders who are in situations of risk—and respond immediately when they report specific threats.
Narciso Beleño Belaides, age 62, was a well-respected peasant leader and dear friend of Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT-Colombia), a close partner of IRTF. For more than three decades, Narciso worked to defend campesino families and their farm lands in southern Bolívar against the presence of paramilitary groups that isolated and forcibly displaced communities in the region. He was recognized for his constant fight for the rights of peasant communities and the preservation of the San Lucas mountain range, which is currently being disputed by armed groups such as the Gulf Clan (paramilitaries) and the ELN (rebel group).
Narciso was a member of the National Agrarian Coordinating Body (CNA) and was the current president of the Agromining Federation of Southern Bolívar (FEDEAGROMISBOL). For several decades, FEDEAGROMISBOL has suffered attacks by paramilitary groups through threats, disappearances and murders, as well as by state agents in the past.
On the evening of April 21, Narciso was entering his home in the El Recreo neighborhood, an urban area of the municipality of Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar Department. Armed men were waiting for him. They shot him four times.
Just hours before he was shot to death, Narciso had denounced the Gulf Clan paramilitaries for a new incursion into the area that began April 18.
State-sponsored violence, in collusion with the interests of private corporations, continues to take its toll on campesino communities.
On February 29, 1,500 agents of the Honduran National Police carried out violent evictions against three campesino cooperative bases of the Landless Peasant Movement of Yoro Department (MCSTY): El Bálsamo, Agua Blanca Sur, and La Sarrosa. Police used heavy machinery to destroy corn plantations, fired gunshots, used physical violence against farmers and their families, and made arrests. Almost 20,000 quintales of food, including basic grains and vegetables, and an estimated 300 blocks of crops were destroyed, directly affecting about 1,500 people. These farmers, who had been in the process of recovering their lands for the previous ten months, now find themselves in a situation of extreme vulnerability.
Furthermore, these evictions reportedly favor the interests of the sugar company Azucarera del Norte SA (Azunosa), which has acquired land titles through intimidation, fraud, and violence since the early 1990s. To date, Azunosa has presented 15 criminal accusations against several members of MCSTY and another 40 against members of the regional chapter of the National Central of Farm Workers (CNTC-Progreso).
We are urging that the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Congress, and the Agrarian Security Commission review agrarian reform laws and give the green light for the National Agrarian Institute to proceed in transferring land titles to campesino associations. In addition, we are urging that the National Human Rights Commissioner and the Human Rights Secretariat assume a more proactive role in protecting the rights of campesino communities, beyond simply registering these violent eviction operations.
Attacks continue on leaders of campesino cooperatives in the Aguán Valley, Colón Department, in northern Honduras. Marvin Dubón, age 23, was a dedicated community spokesperson and partner of the Tranvio Farmers Agricultural Cooperative.
At 7pm on March 17, while riding home on a motorcycle with his life partner Elizabeth Gómez, Marvin Dubón, was followed by heavily armed assailants from the communities of Salamá to Quebrada de Arena, Tocoa municipality, Colón Department. At Quebrada de Arena they shot and killed him.
Campesino organizations suspect collusion among criminal groups, private corporations, and municipal security forces. Witnesses to the assassination noted the presence of Juan Carlos Lizama, leader of a criminal group who is closely associated with the head of security for the Dinant Corporation. The company had previously pushed for the eviction of campesino families from some agricultural cooperatives (Chile, Camarones, and Tranvio). The Coordinating Body of Popular Organizations of Aguán (COPA) reports that Juan Carlos Lizama has for several years participated in a series of acts of violence against peasant communities; it also states that there have been no serious investigative actions against him by the Public Ministry (MP) or the Police Investigation Directorate (DPI). This raises serious concerns about collusion among the assassins, the Dinant Corporation and local security forces in Tocoa.
In Colombia, the situation for social leaders remains dangerous, with frequent attacks ranging from threats to kidnappings and even death. The recent assassination of Faber de Jesús Rincón Pérez in Yondó, Antioquia, exemplifies this issue. He was ambushed by armed individuals on motorcycles while returning home at 11:40am on February 3. Despite efforts to seek medical help, Faber Rincón Pérez succumbed to four gunshot wounds. Authorities are asked to investigate whether the victim had received prior threats from criminal groups in the area. A reward of 10 million pesos has been offered for information leading to the apprehension of the perpetrators and those behind the murder. Thirty year-old Faber de Jesús Rincón Pérez was recognized for his advocacy for workers' rights in the oil industry through the organization Guardia Obrera.
The article discusses Colombian President Gustavo Petro's efforts to reform labor laws in response to social upheaval and economic inequality, inspired by the popular song "El Jefe" by Shakira. Petro aims to reverse decades of neoliberal policies and increase labor rights, addressing issues created by past reforms in the 1990s and early 2000s. The proposed reform faces opposition from conservative forces in Congress, and while progress has been made, it has not yet become law. The US embassy expressed support for the reform, and there is a call for popular mobilizations to pressure Congress. The success of Petro's labor reform remains uncertain in the volatile political climate of Colombia.
The blog post discusses the challenges faced by small-scale avocado growers in Mexico, particularly those associated with bringing their produce to the US market. The author, Nicole Vitello, President of Oke USA, shares insights from her visit to PRAGOR, a Fairtrade avocado cooperative in Michoacán, Mexico.
The cooperative consists of 22 small-scale farmer members, each owning 15 hectares or less. The organization manages the purchase, packing, and export of avocados to the US through Equal Exchange. The pricing structure involves weekly negotiations between the general manager and farmers, with prices set by APEAM, a trade association. Organic avocados command a higher price in the export market.
Vitello emphasizes the unique approach of Equal Exchange in exclusively sourcing avocados from the co-op, negotiating prices in dollars, and avoiding brokers or middlemen. The cooperative follows Fair Trade principles, ensuring fair wages and conditions for farmers. The blog stresses the commitment to transparency, with avocados bearing the Equal Exchange logo and being packed in branded boxes labeled "Small Farmers, Big Change."
The post highlights the cooperative's focus on empowering small farmers as business people who take on risks beyond cultivation. Despite challenges, the supply chain aims to reflect the true cost of growing avocados, fostering a connection between consumers and the specific group of people involved in the production process. The author advocates for a deeper understanding of the avocado industry, shedding light on the complexities of pricing, market functions, and the farmers' role. Overall, the post underscores the cooperative's dedication to providing a genuine story about the origin and journey of avocados consumed in the US.
On January 23, Greater Cleveland Partnership got an early morning wake up call when Sam Allard of Axios Cleveland broke the story that a coalition of grassroots organizations led by Cleveland Owns, the InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, and the Greater Cleveland Housing Justice Coalition would be leading a walkout at the second annual Sustainability Summit organized by Greater Cleveland Partnership.
