On
the back of the card, she can read about women who work in the flower industry
in Colombia, which ships nearly all of its flowers to the United States. About
60% of flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from Colombia, and the majority of
workers on Colombian flower plantations are women.
In the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day, flower workers are often required
to work 12-15 hour days with few breaks and are subjected to increased productivity
quotas. Flower workers routinely undergo repetitive stress injuries, health
problems related to over-exposure to pesticides, and humiliating and degrading
treatment by management. Workers seeking to form a union in Colombia
face bureaucratic hurdles, violence, and harassment, and as a result there are
currently no contracts held by independent unions in the flower sector.
Sending
this card will say to your mom that you care about her, but also that you care
about the rights of all mothers.
Place your Mother’s Day Card order now
With
your donation, USLEAP will be able to continue our support for flower workers
in Colombia, where women are subjected to labor rights violations as well as
violations of their rights as women. To read more about our flower campaign,
please visit our website:
The
U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) is an independent
non-profit organization that supports workers who are fighting for a better
life for their families and to overcome poverty in Latin America.
