Farm workers and their allies delivered nearly 5,000 letters from consumers around the country to convenience chain Kangaroo Express at its headquarters near Charlotte, N.C., this week. The letters call on its chairman of the board, Edwin Holman, to visit the tobacco fields and see firsthand the harsh working conditions of those who toil for Reynolds American Inc. (RAI). 

Kangaroo is the largest chain in the Southeast that sells tobacco products, and farm workers are seeking Kangaroo’s support in encouraging RAI to develop a written agreement with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) guaranteeing freedom of association and collective bargaining for thousands of tobacco farm workers in North Carolina.