This is a cross-post from Workers Independent News.

Hundreds of farm workers and their supporters are protesting at Reynolds American’s shareholders meeting in North Carolina today. The Farm Labor Organizing Committee’s (FLOC's) Justin Flores says it’s part of an ongoing campaign to improve horrendous working conditions for tobacco field workers.

Farm workers all over the country have been excluded from pretty much every labor and employment law that’s ever been passed. Don’t have the right to collectively bargain, don’t have the right to organize, do not have child labor laws, do not have the same workers' compensation laws, no overtime. You name it there’s an exclusion for agricultural workers.

Flores says while the workers don’t work directly for Reynolds American, the company uses its power to improve working conditions for the farm workers who harvest the product that makes Reynolds billions of dollars.

What we want from Reynolds is to meet with us to talk about these conditions and to make it so that in their supply chain they’d encourage growers with incentives and dis-incentives to make sure this behavior doesn’t happen.

Ed. note: Reynolds American is among the companies that have agreed to be part of a committee charged with setting up a landmark meeting to discuss the issues of freedom of association without fear of retalitation, wages, housing, forced labor, job safety and other issues. FLOC will represent the workers, the North Carolina Growers Association will represent the growers and Altria will represent Altria/Philip Morris USA, Reynolds American and Philip Morris International.