Flower Workers and Economic Justice

• Flower workers are primarily women who work long hours, especially before holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, are paid poverty-level wages, and face hazardous working conditions
• Over 60% of flowers bought in the U.S. come from Colombia
• Nearly 100,000 flower workers are employed in Colombia, most of whom are women
• The largest grower and exporter of flowers from Colombia is Dole, which is also the largest exporter of flowers from Latin America to the U.S.
• Dole announced in October 2006 that it would close its largest plantation in Colombia following a two-year campaign by its workers to improve wages and working conditions and form a union.

USLEAP campaigns to support flower workers who are trying to improve their wages and working conditions in Latin America, with a current focus on Colombia.