Sit-in at a Hershey Chocolate Factory to Protest Exploitation of Student Guestworkers
Today, guestworkers and local workers staged a sit-in at a Hershey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania to protest the distubring exploitation of student guestworkers and demand living wage jobs for local workers. USAS activists will join Pennsylvania workers with a delegation to the factory soon, but right now we’re asking you to take action to support the guestworkers:
Coming on the heels of our energizing summer retreat, USAS was alerted to human rights abuses of international workers in the United States. This summer, hundreds of students from around the world each paid $3,000-6,000 for what they thought was a cultural exchange program. What they were actually greeted with were chocolate packing jobs at sweatshop conditions, poverty pay, severe pain, no cultural experience, and virtually no chance to make back the money they paid for the program. All this is going on at a Hershey Chocolate factory at Hershey, PA, in Penn State’s backyard. Hershey Chocolate is exploiting international student labor instead of bringing much-needed jobs to Pennsylvanian families.
Learn more: Watch the guestworkers’ video
In the face of these challenges, the students organized to fight back against their abuses. They’ve refused to be intimated by their plant’s captive audience meetings, threats of deportation, and the recruiters’ attempts to undercut their efforts by contact the students’ parents. They are demonstrating their strength and resolve today, Wednesday August 17th, by holding a sit-in at the Hershey Chocolate factory. USAS, labor leaders, and Pennsylvanian workers will joining the student-workers to demand a full refund for each of the students and living wage jobs for Pennsylvanian families.
Join me and other USASers as we carry the energy from the summer retreat to Hershey Chocolate and get ready to kick off a USAS Fall!
In solidarity,
John Fitzgerald
Penn State USAS
*** This was an email sent to me, strongly suggest watching the movie***
