Last week, hundreds of student guestworkers from around the world were joined by unemployed U.S. workers and labor leaders in a factory sit-in at the Hershey Chocolate Company packing plant in Pennsylvania. Their protest: Hershey: Stop Exploiting Student Guestworkers.
Hundreds of foreign exchange students paid to come to America this summer, expecting opportunities to learn English and experience American culture. Instead, they found themselves forced into back-breaking work, packing chocolate at the Hersey's plant. Here's their story:
Here's the petition to Hersey's started by the National Guestworker Alliance:
On August 17, hundreds of student guestworkers from around the world were joined by unemployed U.S. workers and labor leaders in a factory sit-in at the Hershey Chocolate Company packing plant in Pennsylvania.More here: Hershey: Stop Exploiting Student Guestworkers. Watch the student workers' open letter to Hershey's CEO John Bilbrey here. And for more information, and to sign the petition, go to Change.org here.
The students paid $3,000-$6,000 each to come to the U.S. this summer for what they thought would be a cultural exchange program. Instead, they found themselves packing chocolates at the Hershey's plant in deeply exploitative conditions.
Their demands: end the exploitation of student workers at the Hershey's plant, return the money they paid for a cultural exchange, and make these jobs living wage jobs for local Pennsylvania workers.