TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- A farm workers union based in Ohio says it will help lead a discussion about the conditions and rights of workers who cut and harvest tobacco in North Carolina.

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee says it will sit down with tobacco growers and several large tobacco manufacturers to talk about wages and working conditions for the field workers.

The Toledo, Ohio-based group has been campaigning since 2007 to force the groups to address concerns that include child labor and illnesses facing the workers.

The union's leader tells The Blade newspaper ( http://bit.ly/IfTVts ) in Toledo that it's an important step.

Baldemar (BAW'-duh-mahr) Velasquez (VUH'-las-kehz) says the union wants the tobacco companies to come to an agreement with the union over the right to bargain collectively for farm workers in their supply chain.

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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/