Labor Group Alleges Safety, Health Hazards For Colombian Workers on Flower Farms

Worker advocates are enlisting the public to petition 1-800-Flowers to protest the company’s alleged use of Colombian farms that brutally mistreat their workers.

Specifically, the workers are routinely exposed to dangerous pesticides and fungicides wearing only flimsy facemasks and gloves, as well as risking the development of musculoskeletal disorders as a result of their 18-hour shifts, Kristi Arnold, a spokeswoman with public interest group Care2, told Bloomberg BNA June 10.

Female workers—who comprise most of the Colombian flower factory workforce—also are fired if they become pregnant, Arnold said. Female applicants also are subjected to pregnancy tests and aren’t hired if ...