Farmworkers Call for a Boycott of VUSE E-Cigarettes

From April 9-20, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC) launched a boycott of Reynolds American Inc. (now owned by British American Tobacco)’s VUSE e-cigarette brand with over 40 demonstrations outside of Kangaroo, Circle K, 7 Eleven, and Wawa convenience stores in New York, San Francisco, Orlando, Raleigh, Durham, Toledo, and other major US cities. The boycott was dedicated to FLOC organizer, Santiago Rafael Cruz, who was assassinated on April 9, 2007 in FLOC's office in Mexico to try to stop the union from aiding farm laborers and ending corruption in the H2A guest worker program. The AFL-CIO, International Union of Food and Allied Workers (IUF), and the National Farmworker Ministry have already formally endorsed the boycott. Despite widespread national and international support for tobacco farmworkers’ demands, Reynolds still hasn’t agreed to sign an agreement with FLOC to guarantee farmworkers the right to unionize and negotiate better working conditions. Click here to learn more.