Tobacco Workers Research Articles

Anarchists of the Caribbean: Countercultural Politics and Transnational Networks in the Age of US Expansion by Kirwin Shaffer

The notion of a burgeoning network of anarchists, working across the Caribbean to resist authoritarianism, fighting for workers and communal rights, and generally fomenting revolution, seems at first glance, fantastical. Yet, startlingly, such an alliance, if necessarily loosely constructed, did function with significant effect—especially in Cuba and Puerto Rico, Panama, Mexico, Tampa, Florida (among Cuban and Spanish tobacco workers), and New York City (among Caribbean immigrant communities)—during the first two decades of the twentieth century.As Shaffer outlines in his careful, even lovingly researched compendium of sketches of individuals, popular incursions, newspaper publications, and literary interventions, anarchists gained significant mass support, battled for cultural and political space with competitive radical trends (particularly Bolshevik/communist parties), and attracted the baleful attention and openly hostile reaction of local ruling elites and the United States. Meeting and organizing through nodal centers in Havana, Panama City, New York, Miami, and San Juan, individual anarchists like the flamboyant Jose Maria Blazquez de Pedro, Luisa Capetillo, Adrian del Valle, and Marcelo Salinas wrote poetry and essays, criticized bourgeois politics, initiated rent strikes, spent time in prison and, in the process, built networks of like-minded revolutionists. By the 1930s, however, with significant moments of repression in Panama, the United States, and particularly in Cuba after the 1934 military coup that brought Fulgencio Batista to power, anarchism dissipated as a significant force and largely faded from history.Why did a movement that seemed to address so many burning issues—trade-union activism, hostility to centralized power, advocacy for individual self-realization, resistance to arbitrary authority, and even an occasional embrace of veganism—and which did at times have popular support, almost vanish from the historical narrative? Did the earliest disciples, who came from culturally distant Spain, fail to understand and respond to foundational matters of Caribbean plantation history, particularly race and color? Did the anarchists’ instinctive fear of organization and hierarchy, which lay at the very heart of the philosophy, ironically hamper them in competition with more highly organized Leninist parties and increasingly authoritarian states? Or was the siren song of nationalism, as spurred by the easily available and seemingly inevitable opposition to U.S. hegemony, more powerful than the far more abstract international brotherhood that the anarchists espoused? And why did so many Black, English-speaking Caribbean workers, particularly in the Canal Zone, who constituted a significant part of the workforce, keep their distance from the anarchists?Shaffer’s rich, thoroughly researched, and enlightening history brings anarchism and the anarchists to the centerstage of early twentieth-century Caribbean history, but it leaves many of these questions frustratingly hanging or only partially answered. Although it takes readers to the point of appreciating that at one time, a lively and active anarchist movement flourished, it leaves them in a quandary about why, in the end, it failed to gain momentum and eventually disintegrated.

Imagining the “Worker” in Early Twentieth Century Beirut

Imagining the "Worker" in Early Twentieth Century Beirut Ellis Garey (bio) KEYWORDS communism, labor, Greater Syria, post-Ottoman, worker How do historical actors define and advance their understanding of a particular social category? Fu'ad al-Shamali, a tobacco worker and labor organizer who co-founded Lebanon's first communist party in 1924, wrote and translated prolifically after his expulsion from the party in 1936 on his experiences related to work, labor organizing, and radical politics. An examination of his writings reveals a capacious approach to the category of "worker." The conception of workers put forward by al-Shamali is exceptional both in the context of other contemporary writings, and in comparison to current scholarly conceptions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century worker in Greater Syria.1 His expansive understanding of this category should be seen as an intentional political move intended to encourage the formation of a self-consciously constituted working class. From the 1880s onwards, strikes arose as a new form of social contestation in the region, particularly in port cities along the Eastern Mediterranean including Beirut.2 These strikes often took place at sites of Ottoman imperial centralization and capitalist development like ports and railways. By the early twentieth century, scholars estimate that the number of industrial workers in Lebanon and Syria was well over 100,000 people, reaching 200,000 by the [End Page 421] 1930s.3 Labor actions, including strikes, slowdowns, and sabotage, simultaneously grew in number and size, such that by the 1920s there were hundreds of strikes occurring which often involved several thousand workers each.4 During this period, Beirut newspapers would frequently chronicle ongoing labor struggles in Europe and the United States, making reference to the political stakes of worker uprisings. In their reports on local labor struggles, editors tended to emphasize the economic nature of workers' concerns, and on some occasions justified the use of state force against politicized gatherings or protests held by workers.5 The nationalist movement in Greater Syria and the liberal elite who led it would similarly express concern for the economic wellbeing of workers, but simultaneously encouraged them to avoid following in the footsteps of European workers who, in their estimation, were creating unnecessary conflict with capitalists, factory owners and the managerial classes in their respective countries.6 Concurrent with the growth of a labor movement was the emergence of communist parties and leftist circles.7 It is within this context that Fu'ad al-Shamali organized and wrote. Al-Shamali was born in Ottoman Mount Lebanon in 1894 and went to primary school in Bisan (located in contemporary Palestine) where his father worked as a translator for a railroad company.8 When his father died around the year 1910, al-Shamali and his family moved to Cairo in search of work. By the age of sixteen, al-Shamali had worked in cigarette factories in both Cairo and Alexandria. Cigarette workers in these two cities were among the first groups to actively and consistently mobilize.9 Al-Shamali was thus quickly exposed to labor organizing in Egypt. While strike activity was quelled during World War I, al-Shamali was a key organizer in the growing labor movement in Alexandria by the time of the nationalist revolution against British occupation in 1919, which increasingly asserted itself through waves of work stoppages and general strikes in support of the national struggle. Al-Shamali joined the Egyptian [End Page 422] Socialist Party soon after it was founded in 1921, and took on a leadership position in the party shortly thereafter. For reasons which remain contested, al-Shamali returned to what had become the French-ruled mandate of Lebanon in 1923. Among al-Shamali's writings are his reflections on organizing labor unions (published in 1929), founding the communist Lebanese People's Party (LPP) (published in 1935), and his trip to Moscow as a delegate to the Sixth Comintern Congress (published in 1934). These writings make evident al-Shamali's view of the working class, and give insight into his motivations for including or excluding certain groups in its formulation. While workers based in industry and manufacturing constitute the core of how he defines the category 'worker,' his...

Renal fluid excretion in some groups of female tobacco workers before and after work

Occupational physiology and occupational pathology are increasingly beginning to address issues related to the functional state of a particular organ in workers of various professions.

Genotoxic effect induced by dried nicotiana tabacum leaves from tobacco barns (kiln-houses) in chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells (V79)

ABSTRACT Nicotiana tabacum is the most cultivated tobacco species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Workers who handle the plant are exposed to the leaf components during the harvesting process and when separating and classifying the dried leaves. In addition to nicotine, after the drying process, other components may be found including tobacco-specific nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as pesticides residues. The objective of this study was to examine the genotoxicity attributed to the aqueous extract of dried tobacco leaves obtained from tobacco barns using Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells (V79) as a model system by employing alkaline comet assay, micronucleus (MN) and Ames test. MTT assay was used to assess cytotoxicity and establish concentrations for this study. Data demonstrated cell viability > 85% for concentrations of 0.625–5 mg/ml while the comet assay indicated a significant increase in DNA damage at all concentrations tested. A significant elevation of MN and nuclear buds (NBUD) was found for 5 mg/ml compared to control and other dry tobacco leaves concentrations (0.625–2.5 mg/ml). Mutagenicity was not found using the Salmonella/Microsome test (TA98, TA100, and TA102 strains) with and without metabolic activation. The concentration of inorganic elements was determined employing the PIXE technique, and 13 inorganic elements were detected. Using CG/MS nicotine amounts present were 1.56 mg/g dry tobacco leaf powder. Due to the observed genotoxicity in V79 cells, more investigations are needed to protect the health of tobacco workers exposed daily to this complex mixture of toxic substances present in dry tobacco leaves.

Work, Play, and Performance in the Southern Tobacco Warehouse

This paper examines tobacco warehouses in the southern United States as sites of both work and play. Using a performative approach in the study of architecture that is rooted in folklife methodology, the essay claims these quotidian working structures as places of celebratory potential amid the strictures of Jim Crow spatial segregation. In particular, it focuses on a series of massive dances held in the elaborately decorated warehouses during the early-to-mid-20th century. During these dances, Black celebrants turned the restrictive social and economic working spaces of the tobacco warehouse into places of radical potential and pleasure. The claims of this essay are supported by both conventional architectural documentation and the oral testimonies of a variety of tobacco workers, musicians, and dancers, who made use of the warehouses for a variety of often conflicting purposes. Told together, their narratives emphasize both spatialized resistance to segregation, and the importance of the ephemeral archives of individual stories and memories to the study of vernacular architectural history.

Tobacco Worker's Lung: A Neglected Subtype of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.

Tobacco worker's lung (TWL) is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) affecting workers exposed to tobacco leaves and molds in the humidified environment of the tobacco production industry. Limited epidemiological data point to a prevalence of TWL that is not negligible and probably underestimated. As in other types of HP, an acute vs. chronic presentation depends on the pattern of the exposure. Therefore, the clinical presentation can vary from an acute influenza-like syndrome, mostly self-limiting with the removal of the exposure, to an insidious onset of cough, exertional dyspnea, fatigue and weight loss in chronic presentations, where fibrotic changes may be observed. The main treatment strategy is the removal of the exposure to tobacco dust and molds, while the main aim of corticosteroid therapy is to reduce morbidity and prevent complications, namely the development of pulmonary fibrosis and permanent lung dysfunction. Despite the fact that TWL is quite well described, preventive measures are not usually adopted in the tobacco production industry. We present here a state of the art review of this neglected, preventable, but still prevalent and occupational-related subtype of HP.

Impact of nicotine-induced green tobacco sickness on DNA damage and the relation with symptoms and alterations of redox status in tobacco farmers

During the harvest period, tobacco workers are exposed to nicotine and it is known that absorption of the alkaloid via the leaves causes green tobacco sickness (GST). We investigated if GST and its symptoms are associated with DNA damage and alterations of the redox status. DNA damage was measured in lymphocytes of tobacco workers and controls (n = 40/group) in single cell gel electrophoresis assays. Exposure to nicotine was determined by plasma cotinine measurements, alterations of the redox status by quantification of the total antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The symptoms of GTS included nausea, abdominal cramps, headache, vomiting and dizziness, and 50% of the workers had more than one symptom. Cotinine levels were enhanced in the workers (111 ng/mL); furthermore, the extent of DNA damage was ca. 3-fold higher than in the controls. This effect was more pronounced in participants with GST compared to healthy nicotine exposed workers and increased in individuals with specific symptoms (range 22–36%). TBARS levels did not differ between workers and unexposed controls, while TEAC values were even increased (by 14.3%). Contact with nicotine present in tobacco leaves causes GTS and leads to damage of the DNA; this effect is more pronounced in workers with GTS symptoms and is associated with alterations of the redox status. Damage of the genetic material which was found in the workers may lead to adverse long-term effects that are caused by genomic instability such as cancer and accelerated ageing.

Can Nacar, Labor and Power in the Late Ottoman Empire: Tobacco Workers, Managers, and the State, 1872–1912, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, xv + 202 pages.

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Economic and environmental effects of reduction in smoking prevalence in Tanzania

BackgroundIn Tanzania, strong tobacco control measures that would lead to a reduction in prevalence (consumption) have so far not been implemented due to concern about possible economic effects on gross...

21 ilo Committee on Freedom of Association: Complaint against the Government of Indonesia presented by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (iuf), Case No. 3305, Report in which the committee requests to be kept informed of development – Report No. 388, 14–28 March 2019

21 ilo Committee on Freedom of Association: Complaint against the Government of Indonesia presented by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (iuf), Case No. 3305, Report in which the committee requests to be kept informed of development – Report No. 388, 14–28 March 2019

Health And Socio Economic Status Of Tobacco Workers In Malawi

Tobacco is the major money crop of Malawi and it contributed the maximum of the national income. Malawi is the major contributor in the tobacco production of the world and many of the cigarette companies are using the burley leaf tobacco produced in the Malawian farm due to its rich taste and quality. Tobacco is a major smoking device used by millions of people all over the Malawi who can’t afford the pleasure of smoking a cigarette because of the price that is prohibitive taking in to consideration the economic status of the majority of smokers all over the nation. Smoking tobacco suited the financial strength of the emerging industries workers and agricultural labourers. In this study made an attempt to study the health and socio-economic aspects of the tobacco workers, to find out the nature of work conditions of the tobacco workers, to study the awareness of tobacco workers with regard to family problems and to find out their participation in religious gathering. This study found that tobacco workers were lives in most of the rural areas of Malawi through secondary data pertained from the Government and Non Government sources. Population method was adopted to collect the information from the tobacco workers in the study area. This study found that Tobacco is not only injurious to health of the smokers and also to the makers of the Tobacco (Tobacco workers) too. Socio-economic status of the tobacco worker also very poor when compare with the minimum wages in the study area. These tobacco workers are forced to engage this sector due to non availability of other kind of jobs and lack of skills to engage in the other jobs. This study concludes that Government and Non Governmental organizations should take necessary actions to improve the health and socio economic status through providing vocational training and guidance to enhance their skills and help them in self employment opportunities. Further, it opens up new avenues for the future researchers to contribute more on this to enhance the health condition from all the parts of the world.

12 ILO Committee on Freedom of Association: Complaint against the Government of South Korea Presented by the International Union of Food Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association (IUF), Case No. 3262, Definitive Report, Report No. 384, June 2018

12 ILO Committee on Freedom of Association: Complaint against the Government of South Korea Presented by the International Union of Food Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association (IUF), Case No. 3262, Definitive Report, Report No. 384, June 2018

Borderland Unionism: Latina Activism in Ybor City and Tampa, Florida, 1935–1937

Abstract This article examines the intersections of gender, labor, and political organizing in Tampa and Ybor City, Florida from 1935 to 1937. By following the personal and professional evolution of labor leader Luisa Moreno in the US South, this article explores the reciprocal relationship between Latina tobacco workers and Moreno’s approach to labor unionism and political mobilization. While Moreno arrived in Tampa prepared to unite workers across ideological and physical barriers, what she encountered was a borderland, a space where multiple groups asserted ultimate authority over place and people. Although the laws and legislation of the US government applied to those living in the city, their regulation depended on the actions of people who lived in the region and independently competed for influence and power. As a result of ethnic and racial boundaries in the city (not only between Anglos and people of color, but also between Latina/o and African American communities), Moreno adapted her strategy of traditional class-based unionism to the realities of this borderland and adopted a Latina-centric approach to labor organizing that joined international radicalism and grassroots interests to challenge the control of de jure and de facto Jim Crow exclusions.

The "Cigarreiras Revoltosas" and The Labor Movement: A History of The First Strike by Working Women in Recife and Representations of Women Workers in The Press

Resumo A greve das cigarreiras de 1903 foi encetada pela demissão das primeiras quatro mulheres a ingressarem no movimento operário do Recife. Com o objetivo de compreender as motivações que levaram essas trabalhadoras a se organizarem politicamente, este artigo analisa os eventos em torno da greve e as representações sociais que situavam o trabalho de mulheres em fábricas como uma prática moralmente reprovável. O exame das questões propostas evidencia que as cigarreiras se apropriaram das plataformas de ação fornecidas pelo movimento operário para conquistar visibilidade em um processo de estabelecimento de uma identidade de gênero relacionada ao trabalho.

Aquaculture occupational safety and health in Brazil.

Abstract Health, safety and injury prevention actions should be prioritized in aquaculture, where workers are exposed to a wide range of risks. This paper is based on a scoping report by a group of international experts, funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and administered by Fisheries and Aquaculture Workers Network of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF). Relevant literature was reviewed and the study drew on an international workshop to develop templates and related for regional and national aquaculture occupational safety and health (AOSH) profiles. The literature review included Scielo and Google Scholar databases as well as Google and Brazilian government websites. The searches included material in Portuguese, English and Spanish. The results reported here give an overview of Brazilian AOSH and hazards and cover Brazilian and relevant international worker health and safety laws and organization applicable to the particular hazards in aquaculture. There is a special emphasis on the position of children and women workers linked to the wider social organization of work and welfare, and finally the challenges to and possibilities for good AOSH. Despite major developments in aquaculture production, much still needs to be improved to ensure the safety and health of workers in the sector.

Use of cotinine biomarker in workers to detect green tobacco sickness.

Objective using the urinary cotinine biomarker to verify the occurrence of green tobacco sickness in workers who cultivate Burley tobacco.Method paired case-control study, based on smoking status and on the 1:4 ratio, with participation of 20 case workers and 91 controls. Data collection included household surveys and urine collection for cotinine examination. Student’s T-Test, the Mann-Whitney test, Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests were used.Results of the 23 suspected cases, 20 showed elevated levels of cotinine, signs and symptoms of headache, skin irritation, nausea, sickness and general malaise, especially in the morning. Most had worked with tobacco that was wet from the morning dew and when the weather was warm.Conclusion there are signs suggestive of green tobacco sickness in Burley tobacco workers. The action of health professionals is necessary for the development of health promotion and preventive actions addressing work-related illness.

Race, Exclusion, and Archival Silences in the Seasonal Migration of Tobacco Workers from the Southern United States to Ontario

This article explores the role of race in structuring the movement of seasonal tobacco workers from the Southern United States to Ontario from the 1920s to the 1960s. Over this period, tens of thousands of southern migrant workers of varying skill levels travelled to Ontario to take up jobs in all aspects of tobacco production. Participation in the movement was limited exclusively to white workers until 1966, when it was integrated at the behest of American officials fearful of contravening the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Methodologically, the article follows Michel-Rolph Trouillot and is an exercise in uncovering silences in the archive, as civil servants in both countries and employer representatives in Ontario were extremely hesitant about mentioning the movement’s racial character on record. Beyond methodology, the findings presented contribute to developing a better understanding of the uneven nature of the “deracialization” of Canada’s immigration policies in the 1960s and to charting more of Canada’s role in the construction and maintenance of transnational systems of white supremacy.

Occupational variation in the risk of female breast cancer in the Nordic countries.

This study aimed to determine occupational variations in the incidence of breast cancer in the population-based cohort of Nordic Occupational Cancer Study (NOCCA). The study included long-term follow-up data from almost 7.5million Nordic women. Participants were assigned to one of the 54 occupational categories based on census records at the ages of 30-64years. Sixty-two thousand cases of breast cancer were identified through record linkages between nationwide cancer registries in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, followed up between 1961 and 2005. Country-specific standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Overall, the highest risk elevations were seen among military personnel (SIR 1.58, 95% CI 1.03-2.32), dentists (SIR 1.43, 95% CI 1.31-1.56), and physicians (SIR 1.35, 95% CI 1.26-1.46). The lowest risks were observed among gardeners (SIR 0.76, 95% CI 0.74-0.78), farmers (SIR 0.80, 95% CI 0.78-0.82), and woodworkers (SIR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70-0.81). Welders, tobacco workers, and painters had higher SIRs for breast cancer diagnosed at age < 50. A reduced risk was observed among forestry workers, welders, and fishery workers for breast cancers diagnosed both before and after age 50. The SIRs for breast cancer did not vary substantially by histology. A significantly increased risk of breast cancer was observed among laboratory workers in the latest calendar period (1991-2005) compared with earlier periods (1976-1990 and 1961-1975). Occupations such as farming, forestry, driving, and gardening had low SIRs during all periods. The study suggests that the risk of breast cancer varies by occupation. Heterogeneity is also observed in some occupational categories according to age (before or after 50), histology, and calendar period.

Implementasi Teknologi Fuzzy Logic Controller untuk Pengendalian Temperatur pada Proses Pengeringan Tembakau

Tobacco is one of the six most important commodities in Indonesia. This sector is the most strategic that can absorb millions of workers, ranging from tobacco farmers, laborers or workers to tobacco companies. One of the stages in tobacco processing is the drying process. Drying using sunlight is often distracted by erratic weather changes such as rain, this can cause the drying process to be slow and require very long drying time. Based on the above, a tobacco dryer was developed by implementing the fuzzy logic controller (FLC) method as the temperature controller and its moisture meter. This tool uses LM35DZ type temperature sensors and Soil Moisture YL-69 type moisture sensors. In addition, this artificial drying process also uses heating elements instead of heat from sunlight. Programming tool is made using Arduino uno microcontroller. When compared to conventional drying, the drying results using the tool will be superior in terms of time efficiency, human power and product quality.

Health education programs for tobacco workers: reflecting on principles for empowering farmers

Health education programs for tobacco workers: reflecting on principles for empowering farmers