ckaihatsu
8th November 2016, 13:44
All Out on Sat., November 19, Day of Action - Boycott Driscoll's Strawberries!
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I received earlier today a posting from Eddie Rosario, president of the New York City chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) -- which is the Latino affinity group of the AFL-CIO trade union federation.
In this posting [see below], Brother Rosario informs us that NYC LCLAA will be organizing an informational picket at Whole Foods on November 19 (in support of the Boycott of Driscoll's Strawberries) as part of the Global Day of Action in solidarity with the 70,000 farm workers in San Quintin (Baja California, Mexico) who are still fighting for union recognition by -- and the signing of a contract with -- Driscoll's Farms and their Mexican subsidiary, BerryMex.
I would like to urge all of you to get your unions, community organizations, and co-workers to follow the example of NYC LCLAA by supporting this Global Day of Action. I am including as an attachment the November 19 leaflet as well as the resolution on San Quintin that was adopted last August by the national convention of LCLAA in Orlando, Florida.
I should add that since this LCLAA resolution was approved, the workers at Sakuma Brothers Farms in the state of Washington -- organized in Familias Unidas por la Justicia -- won union recognition and a contract, and have since discontinued their boycott of Sakuma Brothers produce as part of the agreement.
But the Driscoll's strawberry boycott is still very much alive, with boycott committees organizing the November 19 Day of Action all across the United States.
Please support the November 19 Global Day of Action in support of the San Quintin farm workers!
Thanks, in advance,
Alan Benjamin,
Editor,
The Organizer newspaper
* * * * * * * * * *
LETTER FROM EDDIE ROSARIO (NYC LCLAA)
Hello Hermanas y Hermanos:
As per the discussion of our NYC LCLAA meeting and the resolution we adopted as a chapter and national convention, please see the below attachment with the electronic flyer for the November 19, 2016, Day of Action in solidarity with the San Quintin farm workers and in support of the boycott of Driscoll Farms.
On November 19, NYC LCLAA will be at the Whole Foods, 12:00 Noon, on 14th Street across from Union Square Park (between Broadway and University Place). Family and friends are more than welcome.
In solidarity,
Eddie Rosario
President
NYC Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
2 attachments
Nov. 19 Day of Action.JPG
139K
Solidarity Farmworkers in San Quintin .doc
32K
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https://s14.postimg.org/e97udihbl/Nov_19_Day_of_Action.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/n48oo163x/)
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21st National LCLAA Convention, Orlando, FL August 18 – 20, 2016
ADOPTED Resolution: Solidarity with the Farmworkers in San Quintin (Mexico) and Skagit County (Washington State)
WHEREAS: as many as 70,000 farmworkers (jornaleros) in the Valley of San Quintin, Baja California (Mexico) have been waging intermittent strikes and organizing road blockades and mass mobilizations since mid-March 2015 to demand an increase in their daily wage from 100 pesos to 200 pesos per day [raise from $7.50 per day to $15], an eight-hour workday, health care, overtime pay and vacation days, an end to the widespread sexual abuse, and, most important, the legal recognition of their independent union — the Alianza de Organizaciones Nacional, Estatal y Municipal por la Justicia Social del Valle de San Quintin (Alliance National, State and Municipal Organizations for Social Justice in the Valley of San Quintin, or Alianza) — as the bargaining agent for these 70,000 workers; and
WHEREAS: these farmworkers (many of them indigenous workers from Oaxaca) pick strawberries, tomatoes, and other fruit primarily for export to the United States under the label of Driscoll’s, through its Mexican subsidiary, BerryMex; and
WHEREAS: the farmworkers are currently “covered” by “protection contracts” signed between the growers and the CTM, the CROM and the CROC — essentially government run unions — where the contracts signed are nothing more than sweetheart deals favoring the growers; and
WHEREAS: articles in the mainstream media about the conditions of farmworkers in San Quintin describe rat-infested camps, some without functioning toilets, with workers routinely having their wages illegally withheld, and many facing debt after being gouged by the overpricing of necessities sold at company stores, and with pay so low that it amounts to less than one-tenth of what U.S.-based farmworkers earn”; and
WHEREAS: over the weekend of May 9-10, 2015, the Baja California government, instead of opening negotiations with the farmworkers, as promised, sent in police to quash the farmworkers’ protest, severely wounding 70 workers, many with rubber bullets shot at close range, leaving some of the workers in critical condition; and
WHEREAS: the repression against the farmworkers of San Quintin made front-page news and created a huge backlash across Mexico, forcing the government to (1) meet with representatives of the Alianza and promise to legally recognize the workers’ independent union (promising a “registro” to the Alianza) and (2) promise to implement many of the demands raised by the workers that pertain to Mexican labor law; and
WHEREAS: the growers are refusing to abide by the agreement between the Mexican government and the Alianza, arguing that they have more than 60 signed contracts with the CTM, the CROM, and the CROC, and that they will therefore not recognize nor open negotiations with the Alianza; and
WHEREAS: the leadership of the Alianza, soon after the strike began, issued a call to the U.S. labor and community movements to organize a boycott across the United States of Driscoll’s, extending the boycott of Driscoll’s that was launched one year earlier by the FamiliasUnidaspor la Justicia; and
WHEREAS: upon learning of the strike of the farmworkers in San Quintin, unionists and community activists in cities throughout California and other U.S. states launched a campaign incorporating the struggle of the San Quintin workers into the Driscoll’s boycott; and
WHEREAS: many of the San Quintin farmworkers have either worked in the farms owned by Sakuma Brothers in the state of Washington, or have family who work for Sakuma Brothers, where the workers have been subjected to a wide range of abuse for years, such as inadequate piece rates, wage theft, racist and sexist abuse by supervisors, substandard housing and continuous retaliation for their efforts to improve their conditions; and
WHEREAS: the Washington State AFL-CIO has recognized the independent union formed in 2013 by the Sakuma farmworkers — the Familias Unidas por la Justicia — and has endorsed and supported the boycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms; and
WHEREAS: Miles Joseph Reiter is the Chairman of the Board of Driscoll’s Inc. and is also a member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and this board has responsibility for oversight of this industry. We question and oppose his serving on this board due to the conditions of the striking farm workers and the families in San Quintin, Baja, California;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the 21ST National LCLAA Convention goes on record in support of the struggle of the 70,000 farmworkers in San Quintin and the 468 farmworkers in Skagit County, Washington, for better wages, working conditions, and the recognition of their fighting unions — Familias Unidas por la Justicia and the Alianza de Organizaciones Nacional, Estatal y Municipal por la Justicia Social del Valle de San Quintin (Alliance of Farm Workers of San Quintin) — as the legitimate bargaining agents for these workers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the LCLAA opposes the “protection contracts” signed between the growers and the company unions, and urges the Mexican government to formally give the “registro” to the Alianza, as promised, that it meet the Alianza’s demands pertaining to Mexico’s labor laws, — and that the government use all its powers to compel the growers to rescind the “protection contracts” with the company unions, negotiate directly with the Alianza, and agree to increase the workers’ wages to 200 pesos a day, while resolving the other demands raised by the workers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, LCLAA reiterates its call on Sakuma Farms to rehire strikers and sign a contract with Familias Unidas por la Justicia in Washington State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that LCLAA calls upon the California Federation of Labor and the entire trade union movement in the United States to add Driscoll’s to their “Do Not Patronize” list and to actively promote a boycott of Driscoll’s – as well as build ties of solidarity with the San Quintin farmworkers, organizing union-to-union solidarity, visits to San Quintin, and tours to the United States of representatives of the Alianza so that these workers can tell their stories; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that LCLAA will link the struggle of the Sakuma Brothers and Driscoll’s workers in the state of Washington, to the struggle of the San Quintin workers; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that LCLAA will send this resolution to the Alianza and Sakuma Farms workers, with copies to the broader labor movement, to be used as a template for further resolutions in solidarity with the farmworkers of San Quintin and Familias Unidas por la Justicia in Washington State.
Respectfully Submitted by New York City, Long Island, and Pittsburgh chapters of the
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I received earlier today a posting from Eddie Rosario, president of the New York City chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) -- which is the Latino affinity group of the AFL-CIO trade union federation.
In this posting [see below], Brother Rosario informs us that NYC LCLAA will be organizing an informational picket at Whole Foods on November 19 (in support of the Boycott of Driscoll's Strawberries) as part of the Global Day of Action in solidarity with the 70,000 farm workers in San Quintin (Baja California, Mexico) who are still fighting for union recognition by -- and the signing of a contract with -- Driscoll's Farms and their Mexican subsidiary, BerryMex.
I would like to urge all of you to get your unions, community organizations, and co-workers to follow the example of NYC LCLAA by supporting this Global Day of Action. I am including as an attachment the November 19 leaflet as well as the resolution on San Quintin that was adopted last August by the national convention of LCLAA in Orlando, Florida.
I should add that since this LCLAA resolution was approved, the workers at Sakuma Brothers Farms in the state of Washington -- organized in Familias Unidas por la Justicia -- won union recognition and a contract, and have since discontinued their boycott of Sakuma Brothers produce as part of the agreement.
But the Driscoll's strawberry boycott is still very much alive, with boycott committees organizing the November 19 Day of Action all across the United States.
Please support the November 19 Global Day of Action in support of the San Quintin farm workers!
Thanks, in advance,
Alan Benjamin,
Editor,
The Organizer newspaper
* * * * * * * * * *
LETTER FROM EDDIE ROSARIO (NYC LCLAA)
Hello Hermanas y Hermanos:
As per the discussion of our NYC LCLAA meeting and the resolution we adopted as a chapter and national convention, please see the below attachment with the electronic flyer for the November 19, 2016, Day of Action in solidarity with the San Quintin farm workers and in support of the boycott of Driscoll Farms.
On November 19, NYC LCLAA will be at the Whole Foods, 12:00 Noon, on 14th Street across from Union Square Park (between Broadway and University Place). Family and friends are more than welcome.
In solidarity,
Eddie Rosario
President
NYC Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
2 attachments
Nov. 19 Day of Action.JPG
139K
Solidarity Farmworkers in San Quintin .doc
32K
---
https://s14.postimg.org/e97udihbl/Nov_19_Day_of_Action.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/n48oo163x/)
---
21st National LCLAA Convention, Orlando, FL August 18 – 20, 2016
ADOPTED Resolution: Solidarity with the Farmworkers in San Quintin (Mexico) and Skagit County (Washington State)
WHEREAS: as many as 70,000 farmworkers (jornaleros) in the Valley of San Quintin, Baja California (Mexico) have been waging intermittent strikes and organizing road blockades and mass mobilizations since mid-March 2015 to demand an increase in their daily wage from 100 pesos to 200 pesos per day [raise from $7.50 per day to $15], an eight-hour workday, health care, overtime pay and vacation days, an end to the widespread sexual abuse, and, most important, the legal recognition of their independent union — the Alianza de Organizaciones Nacional, Estatal y Municipal por la Justicia Social del Valle de San Quintin (Alliance National, State and Municipal Organizations for Social Justice in the Valley of San Quintin, or Alianza) — as the bargaining agent for these 70,000 workers; and
WHEREAS: these farmworkers (many of them indigenous workers from Oaxaca) pick strawberries, tomatoes, and other fruit primarily for export to the United States under the label of Driscoll’s, through its Mexican subsidiary, BerryMex; and
WHEREAS: the farmworkers are currently “covered” by “protection contracts” signed between the growers and the CTM, the CROM and the CROC — essentially government run unions — where the contracts signed are nothing more than sweetheart deals favoring the growers; and
WHEREAS: articles in the mainstream media about the conditions of farmworkers in San Quintin describe rat-infested camps, some without functioning toilets, with workers routinely having their wages illegally withheld, and many facing debt after being gouged by the overpricing of necessities sold at company stores, and with pay so low that it amounts to less than one-tenth of what U.S.-based farmworkers earn”; and
WHEREAS: over the weekend of May 9-10, 2015, the Baja California government, instead of opening negotiations with the farmworkers, as promised, sent in police to quash the farmworkers’ protest, severely wounding 70 workers, many with rubber bullets shot at close range, leaving some of the workers in critical condition; and
WHEREAS: the repression against the farmworkers of San Quintin made front-page news and created a huge backlash across Mexico, forcing the government to (1) meet with representatives of the Alianza and promise to legally recognize the workers’ independent union (promising a “registro” to the Alianza) and (2) promise to implement many of the demands raised by the workers that pertain to Mexican labor law; and
WHEREAS: the growers are refusing to abide by the agreement between the Mexican government and the Alianza, arguing that they have more than 60 signed contracts with the CTM, the CROM, and the CROC, and that they will therefore not recognize nor open negotiations with the Alianza; and
WHEREAS: the leadership of the Alianza, soon after the strike began, issued a call to the U.S. labor and community movements to organize a boycott across the United States of Driscoll’s, extending the boycott of Driscoll’s that was launched one year earlier by the FamiliasUnidaspor la Justicia; and
WHEREAS: upon learning of the strike of the farmworkers in San Quintin, unionists and community activists in cities throughout California and other U.S. states launched a campaign incorporating the struggle of the San Quintin workers into the Driscoll’s boycott; and
WHEREAS: many of the San Quintin farmworkers have either worked in the farms owned by Sakuma Brothers in the state of Washington, or have family who work for Sakuma Brothers, where the workers have been subjected to a wide range of abuse for years, such as inadequate piece rates, wage theft, racist and sexist abuse by supervisors, substandard housing and continuous retaliation for their efforts to improve their conditions; and
WHEREAS: the Washington State AFL-CIO has recognized the independent union formed in 2013 by the Sakuma farmworkers — the Familias Unidas por la Justicia — and has endorsed and supported the boycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms; and
WHEREAS: Miles Joseph Reiter is the Chairman of the Board of Driscoll’s Inc. and is also a member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and this board has responsibility for oversight of this industry. We question and oppose his serving on this board due to the conditions of the striking farm workers and the families in San Quintin, Baja, California;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the 21ST National LCLAA Convention goes on record in support of the struggle of the 70,000 farmworkers in San Quintin and the 468 farmworkers in Skagit County, Washington, for better wages, working conditions, and the recognition of their fighting unions — Familias Unidas por la Justicia and the Alianza de Organizaciones Nacional, Estatal y Municipal por la Justicia Social del Valle de San Quintin (Alliance of Farm Workers of San Quintin) — as the legitimate bargaining agents for these workers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the LCLAA opposes the “protection contracts” signed between the growers and the company unions, and urges the Mexican government to formally give the “registro” to the Alianza, as promised, that it meet the Alianza’s demands pertaining to Mexico’s labor laws, — and that the government use all its powers to compel the growers to rescind the “protection contracts” with the company unions, negotiate directly with the Alianza, and agree to increase the workers’ wages to 200 pesos a day, while resolving the other demands raised by the workers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, LCLAA reiterates its call on Sakuma Farms to rehire strikers and sign a contract with Familias Unidas por la Justicia in Washington State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that LCLAA calls upon the California Federation of Labor and the entire trade union movement in the United States to add Driscoll’s to their “Do Not Patronize” list and to actively promote a boycott of Driscoll’s – as well as build ties of solidarity with the San Quintin farmworkers, organizing union-to-union solidarity, visits to San Quintin, and tours to the United States of representatives of the Alianza so that these workers can tell their stories; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that LCLAA will link the struggle of the Sakuma Brothers and Driscoll’s workers in the state of Washington, to the struggle of the San Quintin workers; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that LCLAA will send this resolution to the Alianza and Sakuma Farms workers, with copies to the broader labor movement, to be used as a template for further resolutions in solidarity with the farmworkers of San Quintin and Familias Unidas por la Justicia in Washington State.
Respectfully Submitted by New York City, Long Island, and Pittsburgh chapters of the
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement