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Tell Millstone Coffee: Unfair Trade is Rotten!

Millstone Coffee has multiple lines of organic and fair trade coffee, but it is currently using a rogue company called Oak Harbor Freight Lines as its distribution hub in the Seattle area. Oak Harbor Freight Lines workers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho have been on strike for four months now in protest of the freight company's violations of U.S. labor laws, as well as hostile efforts by the company to intimidate workers. Oak Harbor even cut off health benefits to its retirees.

JC Penney, Urban Outfitters, the State of Washington and other companies have elected to suspend their relationship with Oak Harbor until the company finds a just and lasting resolution to the ongoing labor dispute. But Millstone Coffee, supposedly “Fair Trade,” continues to use Oak Harbor without shame!

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November 21, 2009

Subject:

Dear Mr. Byrd,

I am writing to inform you about an urgent issue with Millstone Coffee’s fair trade certification status. Millstone Coffee is currently using Oak Harbor Freight Lines in Auburn, Washington as a distribution hub for their product.

Oak Harbor Freight Lines workers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho were forced to strike on Sept. 22 in protest of the freight company’s violations of U.S. labor laws, as well as hostile efforts by the company to intimidate workers.

A report issued by the International Labor Rights Forum on November 25, entitled “The Right to Associate at Oak Harbor Freight Lines, Inc.” found that Oak Harbor has violated International Labor standards by, among other actions, discriminating against minorities and women in its hiring practices, pursuing a premeditated plan to permanently replace employees engaged in a lawful strike, employing a labor contractor that has behaved in a grossly unethical manner toward replacement workers it has provided to Oak Harbor, and by inflicting significant hardship on retired employees through the termination of health insurance contributions.

JC Penney, Urban Outfitters, the State of Washington and other socially responsible organizations have elected to suspend their relationship with Oak Harbor until the company finds a just and lasting solution to the ongoing labor dispute. Unfortunately Millstone Coffee continues to use Oak Harbor as a distribution hub in the Seattle area.

Several organizations, including the Seattle Greater Council of Churches, United Students Against Sweatshops, Sweatfree Communities, the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, and Global Exchange have called Oak Harbor customers to suspend their relationships with the company until there is a fair and just resolution to the dispute.

Fair Trade certification is supposed to “assure quality from crop to cup with strict criteria for social and environmental standards backed by an internationally recognized monitoring system,” however considering that Millstone Coffee’s supply chain includes Oak Harbor freight lines, a company that is in violation of basic US labor law as well as international labor standards, it seems that this certification must be revisited.

We request at this time that you cease doing business with Oak Harbor Freight Lines immediately or reconsider the fair trade label that is currently being used by Millstone Coffee.

Sincerely,

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