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| source: Rense.com |
Activist Post
Seven Texas farm workers are alleging a wide range of crimes committed by biotech giant Monsanto.
Courthouse News Service is reporting that lead plaintiff Jose Cardenas has filed a lawsuit against Monsanto recruiter Milo Inc. and Milo Inc.'s president, as well as Monsanto itself.
Cardenas is one of seven field workers who are attempting to show a wide-ranging exploitation scam that made promises which were later withdrawn. According to the plaintiffs:
Monsanto promised (the) seven Texas field workers and their children free housing with kitchens in Indiana, then charged them $300 a room, exposed them to pesticides and underpaid them, the men claim in Federal Court.The abuses also included unsanitary conditions that violated agricultural safety and health codes; among the violations, a school bus that was converted into a kitchen facility:
The workers say the bus did not have enough stoves for the number of laborers in the camp, lacked adequate sinks with hot and cold water, did not have sufficient lighting and ventilation or enough chairs and tables.This is not the first lawsuit against Monsanto to make claims of horrific mistreatment; however, it seems to be the first lawsuit of its type filed inside the United States.
A report issued in early 2012 documented abuse of illegal workers held in 'slave-like' conditions on plantations in Argentina. According to the report conducted by Argentina's tax agency, workers were subjected to 14-hour days, forced to buy from the Monsanto company store, were prevented from leaving, and in some cases received zero compensation. (Source)
Beyond the horrendous working conditions and slave wages, the new lawsuit brought in the U.S. also adds claims of outright poisoning due to the inherent toxicity of the pesticides used by Monsanto.
At the hybrid corn seed operation in Indiana where the Milo recruiting agency sent the plaintiffs in the U.S. case, their tasks were roguing, detasseling, husking and sorting.
The 29-page lawsuit states that:
Two or more of the working plaintiffs suffered illness or injuries from suspected pesticide exposure while working for defendants.In Argentina, dozens of tobacco farmers sued Monsanto and tobacco companies in April of this year for a host of birth defects that they assert were caused by herbicides and pesticides - principally the herbicide Roundup, which has shown to be toxic to life in a mere parts-per-billion range.
The lawsuit stated that workers were told that conditions were safe and were not provided with protective equipment. As a result children were born with cerebral palsy, missing fingers, blindness and more. (Source)
Monsanto's abuse of their workers, the public who consumes their products, and the environment seems to have no bounds. Farmers have been committing suicide over their destructive practices; and, as a result, Monsanto is now being sued at an increasing rate by family farmers, workers, and consumers for their complete disregard for health and life.
The workers in this latest case are seeking damages under the Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Let's hope that justice is properly served.
Main source for this article:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/23/48607.htm
Read full lawsuit:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/23/Monsanto.pdf
Read other articles by Joe Wright HERE
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8 comments:
Clearly one of the most evil corporations. People need to keep suing them into the ground.
I have posted my response about GMO, only to have it taken off. I hope this reaches the rest of AMERICA. Seed have been here before man every existed. How can MONSANTO claim that they own the patient to all of these seed. Being Native AMERICAN and existing on corn before the old world found out about corn and other crops. If Anyone has a right to own these seeds it's the native American PEOPLE (black, brown or any other color) that own these seed. I can trace it back to anytime in history. So, could someone help me file the right papers or do it yourself in order to get our healthy foods that the great provder has blessed us with. New Mexico has made into law that no one can claim there green chilli is from NM,unless its grown in NM. That includes states and other countries. Should work for GMO's
PEACE!
remember, "I'd rather die standing for what I believe in than to live in servitude."
"An honorable death, not a humiliating life."
We really do need to put Monsanto OUT OF BUSINESS. The ONLY way we're going to do that is if we ALL band together and refuse to buy their products.
Just luv the Monsanto/Roundup advertsement halfway thru the article. They have no shame.
No, suing and not buying is worthless. We need to band together to stop them from MAKING their "poison" altogether.
Once the production stops, if they want to make something worthwhile with their knowledge and tech, thats fine.
In a few weeks, "Why In The World Are They Spraying?" will premier in Los Angeles. This film details the link between weather modification, weather derivatives and Monsanto's key role in what amounts to destroying farm land and farmer livelihood in a massive, world-wide land grab. Replanting all of it with GMO's. There is nothing more insidious than a corporation or group of corporations bent upon controlling the world's food supply, because once they do, they can take away everything you have: Your freedom, your Constitution, your Second Amendment-- even your life if you don't "comply". Or you can starve to death. This isn't science fiction. The food industry is much bigger money-wise than fossil fuels. Billions of dollars to be made. And the way Monsanto is going, I wonder why no one has brought up the RICO statutes or Anti-Trust law for the monopoly they are creating for themselves.
The only way to put Monsanto out of business is to burn their crops down. Their poison producing crops and agent orange pesticides are toxic to the environment and all living organisms. (They are also contaminating underground water with copious use of RoundUp.) Burning these crops before full growth prevents contamination of surrounding areas. Europeans have employed this method and it is quite successful in getting Monsanto to leave.
Monsanto whistle blowers are coming forward to expose the fallacy of GMOs. Whistle blowers say their genetic meddling are producing crops that have unpredictable changes created in them. A change in 1 gene leads to mutations in other parts of the plant DNA. No one knows the consequences of these changes in the plant. Do we really want to eat plants that contain poisons when independent research is not allowed. BTW, scientists are finding the Bt toxin in the blood stream of Americans tested for it and are sounding the alarm. Monsanto always claimed the toxin is broken down and is harmless to humans. Many companies are using the term Natural to hide their GMO ingredients. Gmos are not labelled so we can never know if we are consuming them. Of course Monsanto fights all labeling efforts leaving us in a lurch.
Greed is destroying the planet,It's a growing epidemic amongst the 1%, Monsanto is a clear indication of what is to come,There is people power and we can change things if enough of us are informed and realize the threat is as real as any war !
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