On April 9, 2007, Santiago Rafael Cruz was assassinated in the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) office in Mexico. The organizer gave his life in service of trying to improve the lives and workplaces of farm laborers. In his honor, FLOC will picket nationally outside 7-Eleven, Circle K, Kangaroo Express and Wawa convenience stores, calling on the corporations that run these stores to stop selling VUSE e-cigarettes.
VUSE e-cigarettes are a hallmark product of Reynolds American’s tobacco line and are sold at most convenience stores, where 36% of all tobacco sales take place. FLOC and allies have been communicating with the corporate officers of 7-Eleven, Wawa and Couche-Tard (the parent corporation of Circle K and Kangaroo). Since the chains haven’t responded to repeated letters and emails, FLOC will rally outside stores across the country, calling on them to drop the VUSE brand.
For more than a decade, FLOC has been challenging Reynolds to end abuses and human rights violations in its tobacco supply chain. After ignoring FLOC for five years, Reynolds finally started holding talks in 2012, but the talks have yet to lead to an outcome that would guarantee these farm workers freedom to come together in union. FLOC is boycotting VUSE until Reynolds signs an agreement that guarantees farm workers freedom of association.
Stand with farm workers today by boycotting VUSE and demanding that convenience stores stop selling this product until Reynolds agrees to give farm workers a voice on the job. For information on how to get involved or to organize an action, email [email protected].
