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EVENTS
RESOURCES
LINKS
FARMWORKER COMMITTEE MAIN PAGE
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MISSION:
The Farmworker Ministry Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches works to improve conditions of farm workers through public awareness, advocacy, service, support for organizing, and resolutions of endorsement.
The Committee convenes church and secular agencies and individuals who minister to migrant farm workers and advocates for justice on their behalf. The committee sponsors ongoing forums to educate congregations and civic groups about farmworker living and working conditions, works to change legislation that is harmful to workers, encourages member churches in developing farm worker ministry programs, and endorses collective bargaining rights and farmworker-called boycotts, including the recently resolved Mount Olive and Taco Bell campaigns.
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CONTACTS:
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Melinda Wiggins, Chair, mwiggins@duke.edu , 919-660-3652
MEETINGS:
Membership in the Farmworker Ministry Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches is composed of representatives who are officially appointed by their judicatories, and representatives from Church Women United and farmworker advocacy organizations, as well as individuals who are interested in farmworkers and their concerns. Meetings are held in the Cabinet Room of the Methodist Building, 1307 Glenwwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC.
new farm worker web site launched:
The Farmworker Institute has just released a new website: www.ncfarmworkers.org. Here, you'll find fact sheets, farmworker curriculum and a speakers bureau, in addition to learning about upcoming farmworker-related events across NC. All of our free resources are available in both English and Spanish. Come visit us on the web today! The Farmworker Institute is a project of the Farmworker Ministry Committee of the NC Council of Churches, a group that creates educational materials, presents public forums, and brings together farmworker advocates to share strategies to improve farmworker conditions in North Carolina.
wondering about latino immigration & farmworkers in North carolina? The NC Council of Churches Farmworker Ministry Committee offers free presentations to local congregations on immigration, farmworker issues, and how congregations can develop effective ministries of partnership and outreach. Rural churches are especially invited to participate. To schedule a presentation or find out more, contact Melinda Wiggins, mwiggins@duke.edu.
farmworker factsheets:
Attractive educational factsheets on the push-pull factors of immigration, farmworker's impact on North Carolina's economy, housing and health issues, and other informative statistics are available FREE to churches and other groups requesting them.
Click the links above for the online versions, or contact the Council office, nccofc@nccouncilofchurches.org, to receive print copies.
For additional resources, visit the "Farmworker Resources" page.
Webkeeper's note: A word about "farmworker" vs. "farm worker"--Organizations working for and with our state's agriculatural laborers use both terms. The NC Council of Churches and its program committee have also used both. Beginning in May 2006, however, we will consistently use "farmworker" when referring to our "Farmworker Ministry Committee" and in our materials regarding farmworkers. But we will also attempt to honor the spelling used by our colleague organizations when referring to those groups by name or using resources supplied by them. Because we cannot go back and change published materials found on this website, you will continue to see some inconsistencies in the use of the words.
News Release: North Carolina Migrant Farmworkers Win Landmark Victory with FLOC
Court settlement touted as breakthrough for agricultural guest workers
(Wake County, NC, March 16) -- More than 15,000 migrant farmworkers in North Carolina won a landmark victory with the help of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), providing a major step toward achieving fairness, equitable treatment and dignity in the employment process for guest workers. The settlement the farmworkers received as a result of 17 months of litigation ensures that workers coming from Mexico will no longer be forced to endure illegal wage deductions or pay exorbitant transportation costs to work in the fields of North Carolina.
FLOC, which received a national charter from the AFL-CIO last month, represents 10,000 farmworkers in the Midwest and North Carolina.
"This is a breakthrough for farmworkers that will allow even more farmworkers to win a voice on the job," said FLOC President Baldemar Velasquez. "Through non-violent campaigning we will reach out to others and make a difference for many more farmworkers and their families."
On March 10 the Wake County Superior Court in Wake County, North Carolina issued a settlement in a class action suit spearheaded by FLOC against the North Carolina Grower's Association (NCGA) and all of its approximately 1,000 current and former grower members. The suit sought to force growers, under both the federal minimum wage law and the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act, to pay for all visa and transportation costs for temporary workers under the H-2A guestworker program. The settlement issued Friday provides a settlement fund of $1.475 million to compensate temporary agricultural workers for the illegal wage deductions they suffered under state and federal law. It also ensures that growers live up to their obligations by paying recruiting, visa, border crossing and transportation fees in Mexico or the US, which will save farmworkers an estimated $4 million over the next two years.
"Farmworkers in North Carolina will finally receive what they so greatly deserve: a fair and just process for getting work," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "This is an extraordinary win for not only farmworkers but for everyone concerned about justice and fairness."
North Carolina farmworkers won a union in 2004 when, after a five-year boycott of Mt. Olive Pickle, they signed a collective bargaining agreement with the NCGA and Mt. Olive Pickle allowing farmworkers in a guestworker program to have a union for the first time. The innovative partnership between FLOC and the NCGA was lauded as a positive development for growers and farmworkers. The innovative partnership between FLOC and the NCGA provides a steady workforce for growers and collective bargaining rights for the workers they hire.
The recent settlement requires all growers in the state to abide by its provisions concerning the visa and transportation costs for guestworkers, regardless of whether their workers are covered by the NCGA collective bargaining agreement with FLOC. Because growers will no longer be able to shirk their responsibility to temporary employees by leaving the NCGA and thereby negating the union contract with FLOC, the settlement is expected to strengthen farmworkers' ability to form unions.
FLOC is a major force on behalf of migrant farmworkers in the Midwest and in North Carolina. Taking on large corporations like Campbell Soup and Mt. Olive Pickle, FLOC has successfully won contracts for farmworkers that have led to improved working conditions, increased wages and benefits -- and better prices for small farmers.
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