Hershey's Chocolate Plant Trapping Foreign Workers

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New York, NY – A group of 30 student workers who escaped captive labor at the Hershey’s packing plant this summer will hold a rally at Hershey’s Times Square store on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 12 p.m. to demand:
• an end to Hershey’s exploitation of students on J-1 cultural exchange visas;
• the return of the $3,000-6,000 each the students paid for false promises of a cultural exchange program; and
• that the 400 jobs they filled become living wage jobs for local workers.
The students—who come from China, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nigeria, and other countries—organized with the help of the National Guestworker Alliance and held a walk-out and strike from the Hershey’s plant on Aug. 17.
Hershey’s has maintained a wall of silence since, while the students have collected more than 63,000 petition signatures from Americans supporting their demands. Federal agencies have also launched four investigations into exploitation of J-1 student workers at the Hershey’s plant.
The students and local supporters are taking their fight to Hershey’s Times Square store to break the company’s wall of silence. They insist that Hershey’s take responsibility for exploiting J-1 students and excluding local workers.
The students’ story goes right to the heart of the current debate over the sources of America’s jobs crisis. Decades of downsizing, outsourcing, and subcontracting by corporations like Hershey’s has robbed local workers of living wage jobs, while locking immigrant workers—and even cultural exchange students on J-1 visas—into situations of captive labor.
WHO: Hershey’s J-1 student workers who paid up to $6,000 each for a cultural exchange, and instead found themselves captive laborers at the Hershey’s packing plant in PA
WHAT: Rally at Hershey’s Times Square store (48th and Broadway) to break Hershey’s wall of silence over its exploitation of students on J-1 cultural exchange visas
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 12 p.m.
CONTACT: Stephen Boykewich, c. 718-791-9162, stephen@guestworkeralliance.org
 
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Monday, 29 August, 2011 07:56

HARRISBURG, PA—At 11 a.m. Monday, August 29, Hershey’s J-1 student workers marched to the Harrisburg office of Hershey’s Trust board chairman LeRoy Zimmerman to deliver a petition with more than 63,000 signatures from all across America supporting the students’ three main demands:
  • The end of Hershey’s exploitation of J-1 student workers;
  • The return of the $3,000-6,000 each the students paid for false promises of a cultural exchange; and
  • That the 400 jobs the J-1 students filled at Hershey’s packing plant be made into living wage jobs for local workers.
​

About 15 students and as many allies marched to the office of Mr. Zimmerman bearing “No More Captive Workers” and “Hershey’s: Pay PA Back” signs, and chanting “Hershey Hershey can’t you see / what justice means to me” and “Good jobs for local workers.”
They entered the lobby and showed the 1,176-page petition to the security guard, saying they’d like to deliver it to Mr. Zimmerman. The security guard informed them Mr. Zimmerman had told him not to let them in the building. One of the students called Mr. Zimmerman on a cell phone to request a meeting while others sang and chanted in the lobby. They were given his voice mail, and they passed the phone from student to student until every one of them had had a chance to leave him a message.
The police showed and asked the group to move outside, which they did. The students and allies rallied in front of Mr. Zimmerman’s office building for about 30 minutes, drawing supportive honks and waves from passing Harrisburg residents. They then sent the petition to Mr. Zimmerman by fax.
View photo gallery here.
The Justice at Hershey’s campaign began two weeks ago when 220 students signed a petition with their demands to Hershey’s and its subcontractors. When the students went on strike on August 17, they attempted to deliver the petition to company representatives, but the representatives refused to accept it.
The students then opened their petition to all Americans, and gathered more than 63,000 signatures in support of their demands over 10 days.
As Hershey’s has yet to make any direct response to the students’ demands, the students will deliver a printout of the petition with all 63,000 signatures they have gathered to the law offices of Hershey’s Trust board chairman LeRoy Zimmerman on Monday morning. The students will also seek a meeting with Mr. Zimmerman.
WHEN: 11 a.m. ET Monday, August 29, 2011
WHERE: Law office of LeRoy Zimmerman, 3 Market Street, #800, Harrisburg, PA 17101
WHAT: Striking Hershey’s J-1 student workers, local PA allies
CONTACTS: Mitch Troutman, Mob. 215-620-0970
NGA Communications Director Stephen Boykewich, Stephen@guestworkeralliance.org, Mob. 718-791-9162
 
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Hersheys
kit kat
mr goodbar
reeses
twizzlers
almond joy
ice breakers

:flame:
 
That's crazy! Damn PA people (not you Ken)!!

That's like in Ocean City, MD they have all these foreign young adults working.. I don't think they do the same thing as @ Hershey's but I'm sure they don't get paid much.. :(
 
I was just being an ***hole by referring to President Obama's upcoming speech next week, where he is supposed to outline his plan on how to get Americans working.
 
get rid of the people making less than $5/hr at hershey and see what Americans will take those jobs? Watch a 13 billion dollar company fail to keep open/deliver?
 
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