| OCR Text |
Show Autumn Venceremos 1996 article about strawberries, Huerta: That pineapple. After where if people ate to many of we won the election and the these [unwashed] strawberries, workers voted for the union, the they actually can die from them. company plowed the berries The thing is that not only are under. We won another election the migrant workers affected, with this company in the but consumers also are affected Watsonville area and Salinas by these pesticides. area — 400 workers were on Huerta: Right. The farm strike because of sexual harassworkers are like the little birds ment. We won the election and that miners used to take into again they did the same thing. the mines. They are the first They plowed the berries under. ones to feel [the illness]. As So, what we're doing now is mentioned previously, we had we're taking on the whole 268 farm workers who were industry. And the conditions are sprayed in September of this very bad. Many workers don't year. Many of them were vomitget minimum wage. We had a ing blood. There were three crew go out and check the sanipregnant women in the group tary facilities out there. Many of and when they went to report the people did not have accessithat they were injured, the ble toilets. They didn't have employer put out a leaflet saysoap or hand washing facilities. ing that these workers shouldn't A lot of people don't realize this apply for worker's compensabut, you know, when food is put tion “cause they might be into that little box — whether fraudulent claims. The employit's strawberries or grapes, or er trying to discourage them whatever — it's taken to a coolfrom applying for worker's comer and then from there, it goes pensation so they could get their directly to the market. It does doctor bills paid for and their not go through a sanitizing injuries paid for. process. So, the only places Marcial: Now, you're talking where the consumers can be about people who are underpaid assured that their food is clean and working for corporations is where we have union consuch ad Dole and Gallo, that are tracts. Because if we have a making massive amounts of union contract, we have a stewprofit at the least amount of atd. there .— a” umion cost. This emphasizes what the representative who makes sure farm workers go through so that that the toilet is clean, that these corporations make milthere's cold drinking water for lionstarof dollars.” Ehese _the workers and they have corporations then sell to 'coneverything that they need. We're sumers over the counter, grapes taking on the whole industry and strawberries that were because we figure that they can't plow under the whole -sprayed with pesticide. What consumers do to counter this? industry, right? So we're doing Huerta: First of all, if they can this and the AFL-CIO is backing refuse to buy California table us. They sent young people out grapes. We'd appreciate that there on the union summer because we've been able to get campaign. John Sweeney has rid of some of the pesticides like been out there twice already. parasian, dynaseps, that have They've committed large sums been restricted and some others of money for organizing, so one of the great things that's hapreal bad ones. But the compa-. nies still are using them out pening is that you do have labor there and if people keep on boythat is back to the streets. Under cotting grapes, there's pressure the leadership of John Sweeney, on the industry to clean up their labor is back to the streets and act. There's another pesticide — they're really supporting orgamethylbromide — that both the nized campaigns like ours. grape growers and the strawberry Marcial: It seems a bit ironic growers use that is more preva— and you said something lent in strawberries. This alluding to this — regarding the pesticide actually is destroying strawberries or grapes or lettuce and the pesticides used on these the ozone layer. And [even] if they stopped using it tomorrow, products — that consumers are it would take several years for buying these products. I read an Ryan Miller / The Salt Lake Tribune Ryan M the ozone layer to replete itself. There have been many people who have been killed by methylbromide. There have been close to 1,500 documented people that had to leave their homes because the gas fumes from methylbromide escaped into their residences and they had to literally leave their homes until the gas was cleared. Governor Wilson called a special session of the Legislature to give these growers additional time because they were supposed to stop using this pesticide on March 31. And you know what? The only reason they use it is to get a better yield. They use it to sterilize the soil, but there are other methods that they can use, like putting plastic over the soil so the heat from the sun will sterilize the soil. Organic farmers are not using any pesticides on strawberries, but the vast majority of the industry is using methylbromide. Marcial: The consumer should demand organic fruits and vegetables in these k«supermarkets instead of buying from these huge corporations that use all these pesticides. They can also lobby the owners and managers of these stores to drop the pesticidesprayed vegetables and fruits and bring in organic produce instead. Huerta: Boy, you've got the right message there. In fact, right now, as part of our strawberry campaign, we're asking people to go to their local stores and talk to the owners and just say to them, “We want your support for the strawberry workers to work in a good environment without having to deal with pesticides.” Corporations won't threaten employees since we started our campaign. However, many of them have been fired. We have two organizers who already have been assaulted and beaten and we want the growers to give workers the right to organize without oppression or firing. Think about it. All of these growers belong to several organizations — the Farm Bureau, Strawberry Commission, Western Alliance, and they pay dues. They receive representation in Washington, as well as from the state capitals. What's wrong with farm workers having an organization. I mean, we have a constitutional right to have an organization and to have our own representation, but the growers can't see this. And, of course, one of the reasons is because they somehow have believe that all the farm workers are out there in - 5 er/ TheSalt Lake Tribune ment and corporations are just the fields to make the corporahypocrites. They somehow tions rich. So, they don't want think that workers are just out to treat them as human beings, there to make themselves rich. or give them enough money to The general public often does provide for their families — to not understand that unions creclothe them, feed them and eduate the middle class. Without cate them. Right now, that is labor unions, there is no middle what is happening because so class. The attack on labor has many workers are working for been very severe over the last 14 less than minimum wage. years or so. So, that must be Marcial: If you were to take changed. Labor must have the the majority of your average right to organize workers. migrant or farm workers, and if Marcial: Please elaborate they were told, “Well, you're more on the importance of going to. work in these unions. 1 don't think people in deplorable conditions and we're mainstream America really only going to pay you as much understand the importance of as we think you're worth,” how long do you think those people - unions. Why is that? Huerta: Well, a union is an would stay there? We're talking organization of workers. That's about: the average, typical all itis. A union is an organizaAmerican workers. tion of workers. You have your Huerta: Actually, people will professionals. They have their do the job if they're paid adeorganizations — such as the quately and if they have good American Medical Association union benefits. Unfortunately, for. “doctors “or. the, Bar agribusiness has such control Associations for attorneys. that it's very hard — in fact, Engineers also have their organithey don't want to hire local zations. All professionals have workers. They prefer to go to the representation all the way down middle of Mexico and bring peothe line. However, working people in to the United States, ple — those who work with rather than hire local people their hands — are the ones that from Fresno or Los Angeles or really built the bulk of this the local area. country. All of the professionals They lock out the American feed from that. The working workers, much like comparing people are the ones who create it with the prison population. In the work so professionals can California, Wilson increased the also eat and yet, in our society, prison budget by 13%. The state there is a bigoted attitude wants to build 34 new jails in toward working people. This is California. At the same time wrong and must be changed so they're locking out the young people who create the wealth for people from these jobs “cause others also are entitled to medthey have to go to labor contracical protection and job security tors and that's one thing that we and, most of all, an organization think is very wrong. Jobs should that represents them, because be offered to the youth first, nothing gets changed in our because it's not work that is of country without organization. another planet. 1 mean, people Organization is what makes “can do this work. everything happen. Marcial: Pete Wilson is pracChange always comes from ticing hypocrisy in the sense that the bottom, it doesn't come from he says, “Let's build a large metal important * the top. That's gate at the border and put elecbecause the working class must tric fences up with more understand that they have power National Guard members or to make changes. Just like everyArmy soldiers shooting down thing else, our union exists today immigrants.” Then, when the because people out there did not corporations need people to pick eat grapes. So, we must thank all their grapes, strawberries and letthose people who didn't eat any tuce, they let the immigrants in. grapes — thank you very much. Huerta: So, they want to reWe're still alive and well today, enact the legalized Bracero even though a lot of people Program — slave labor without thought we would go away after any rights or benefits, social Caesar passed away. We've gotsecurity, or unemployment ten 5,000 new members under insurance. This is what the union contracts since Caesar Republicans included as part of passed away and our president, the Immigration Bill. The Arturo Rodriguez, is doing an Democrats luckily voted against incredible job of moving the it so it was defeated with a few union forward. Republicans also voting against To be continued next issue. it. But, you're right. The govern- - |
