Workers at El Milagro tortilla factories are declaring some victories. They say they’ve seen wage increases totaling more than $1 million.

In a statement to the Chicago Tribune, a company representative said the raises were not the result of activism efforts, but that they are listening to workers and more changes may soon be on the way. 

The workers made national headlines last fall when they rallied at El Milagro headquarters to protest what they say was a lack of COVID-19 protections, unfair wages and even sexual harassment. But along with their advocates at Arise Chicago, the workers say the fight is far from over.          

Arise Chicago worker center director Laura Garza said while they’ve made some progress on some of their demands, that the work is not done. She also believes the wage increases are in fact a direct result of the workers’ actions. 

“There’s been a lot of conversations about a shortage of workers, but what we’ve been saying is really a shortage of good wages and good benefits for workers in general. In addition to them receiving the increases, they also ended the unlawful practice of a seven-day workweek,” Garza said. “It wasn’t until the workers organized and handed in their first demand letters that the increases went into effect. 

Garza said El Milagro management also implemented anti-sexual harassment training and no longer requires workers to supply their own tools to fix factory machines.          

Garza also emphasized that the workers have never called for a boycott, nor do they plan to.          

“The community actually supported them by not buying some of the products, but the workers never asked for that,” she said. 

Earlier this week, South Side Weekly reported workers at other area tortillerias are taking steps to organize as well. 

“We were contacted … about six weeks ago from workers from Authentico Foods … and La Guadalupe,” Garza said. “The workers were really inspired by the activism of the El Milagro workers … and so they said, well those workers could do it, we can too. So those workers organized, they made their demands and Authentico responded. Unfortunately, they fired two workers and there [have] been charges against Authentico on that issue. And they’re [going to] win that fight.”

Garza thinks recent events have also had an impact.          

“The workers are motivated. They’re no longer taking the abusive working conditions that they dealt with for years,” Garza continued. “I think [with] the pandemic, really, they had enough.”