Migrant labor is important to the U.S. tobacco growing community. Philip Morris USA supports the need for a reasonable system to provide tobacco farmers with a reliable source of legal workers, and supports the enforcement of existing labor and housing standards as defined by federal and state regulations.
At Philip Morris USA, we understand the importance of guest-workers to the tobacco growing community to help with planting and harvesting tobacco in the U.S. We address issues associated with migrant labor in a number of ways:
- We do not condone the unlawful employment or exploitation of migrant workers.
- We support the comprehensive regulatory regime in the U.S., including laws and inspections overseen by the Department of Labor.
- Our contracts with growers require that all tobacco be harvested in accordance with applicable federal, state and local regulatory requirements and using Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
- Employees must promptly report actual or suspected breaches of suppliers' contractual obligations or supplier misconduct to company management.
We believe that engagement with growers is the best way to enhance farm conditions and promote quality labor standards for their workers. To help growers address these and other important agricultural issues, we promote the use of best practices in tobacco farming through the following activities:
Communication and engagementAnnually, we provide growers with GAP handbooks that reinforce our expectations that they comply with the Federal Fair Labor Standards and the Migrant and Seasonal Workers Protection Acts. Included in the GAP handbook is information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Worker Protection Standard, including how workers can be protected from exposure to pesticides.
We actively engage growers in the use of Good Agricultural Practices, including the use of crop protection agents, farm safety and maintaining complete labor records.
We engage with growers through annual grower meetings, newsletters and farm visits on issues important to tobacco farming, including labor. We aim to understand the challenges growers face and to tailor our programs and communications to help them address those issues.
Grower Representatives for the company are a key component of our engagement efforts. They live and work in the growing communities and are responsible for contacting and visiting Tobacco Leaders Program growers. They represent PM USA's business requirements and expectations and provide information on tobacco practices consistent with GAP. We also maintain regular engagement with growers through local Grower Councils.
Education and trainingWe support university research and extension programs in several areas of tobacco science that may have an impact on labor practices. Much of our work with land-grant universities is intended to further grower education on the following topics:
- harvesting and curing tobacco
- mechanization in burley growing
- communication on issues related to farm worker safety in grower communities
- training for extension agents on issues of importance to the tobacco growing community
Through our support, tobacco specialists generate information for sharing throughout cooperative extension networks.
