Farmworkers in Burlington, WA on strike, face eviction!

Subject: Re: Farmworkers in Burlington, WA on strike, face eviction!


Guest Workers? Remember, a Scab by any other name is still a Scab.
Take a long look at the demands by the workers and then ask yourself why
these corporate farmers can't find "Regular Americans" to hire on. And if
you've never visited one of these labor camps, go on out and tell me you'd
enjoy living under those conditions after a long day of back breaking labor.

Here's #6 again.

6. Mejor trato a los trabajadores, respeto, lugar limpio, cabinas con mejor
condiciones, no gritos ni amenazas. Demand not met
Better treatment of workers, respect, clean place to live, better maintained
conditions, no yelling or threats.

Pickers want to be treated with human dignity in the workplace and labor
camps. Substandard living accommodations, unsanitary facilities, and
racialized hostilities violate the migrant's human rights. Pickers should be
made whole, including but not limited to, maintenance and betterment of
labor camp by Sakuma Brothers Farms and that labor camp managers cease and
desist hostility and harassment as required by law.


----- Original Message -----
From: "S. Kashdan" <skashdan@scn.org>
To: "Blind Democracy List" <blind-democracy@octothorp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 5:26 PM
Subject: Farmworkers in Burlington, WA on strike, face eviction!


Farmworkers in Burlington, WA on strike, face eviction!

Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:04:37 -0700


Farmworkers in Burlington, WA are facing retaliation for their strike last
week - and being evicted from their homes in the labor camp so that
guestworkers can be brought in! Here is their call for support and their
list of demands:


Burlington, WA, July 22, 2013: Over two hundred Triqui and Mixteco
farmworkers authorized a second work stoppage at Sakuma Brothers Farms, Inc.
in protest of low piece rate wages and hostile working conditions. The
farmworkers contend that Sakuma Brothers Farms are engaging in retaliatory
actions over their six-day work stoppage last week. The latest of these is
the differential piece rate wages for blueberries that Sakuma Brothers Farms
set for the crew of the field supervisor who was transferred last week for
harassing workers. Farmworkers believe that at $8.50 per box, this
supervisor's crew is being favored over their crew which was offered a piece
rate of $3.50 per flat. Today, the Farmworker Rights Committee, which has
been negotiating on behalf of the workers, asked for a raise in piece rate
to $6.00 per flat.


(Note: Sakuma Brothers farms provide berries to Haagen Dazs ice cream
company.)


Carmen Juarez-Ventura, a seasoned picker at Sakuma Brothers Farm stated that
the differential treatment was "unjust," she maintained that, "we want to
work, but instead of raising our wage to make it fair, they keep lowering
it." Another seasoned picker, Aucencio Alvarez said "they shouldn't do that,
pay us so brutally low," he continued, "I feel disillusioned; we come from
so far, from California, only to be treated this way." Alvarez said he was
so discouraged that his family was thinking of not returning next year after
having worked for Sakuma Brothers Farm for seven years, he said he was tired
of always having to fight for a fair wage, the last work stoppage he
experienced occurred in 2011 and resulted in no gains. He is hopeful that
this work stoppage will result in an agreement.


ORIGINAL STRIKE COMMITTEE LIST OF GRIEVANCES


1. Que no corran a Federico Lopez. Demand Met July 13, 2013
For Federico Lopez not to be fired.

Federico Lopez was unjustly fired on July 10, 2013. This violates labor
regulations governing retaliation by employers over worker grievances.
Federico Lopez should be made whole, including being reinstated as a picker,
with restoration of any pay, and supervisors should cease and desist
retaliation as required by law.

2. Que nos suban más por libra, 70 centavos. Demand not met - Rate per box
raised to $4.00 a lb. then lowered to $3.50 a lb.


We want a higher rate per pound, 70 cents.

Sakuma Brothers Farms set a piece rate wage at .30 cents per pound at the
beginning of the blueberry harvest, pickers are struggling to make the
minimum wage of $9.19 per hour at this rate in an 8 hour period. This
violates Washington state minimum wage requirements. Pickers should be made
whole, by being paid at least the equivalent of $9.19 an hour for their time
picking berries.


3. Quitar el scaner y poner tarjetas. Demand Not Met - management agreed to
review paycheck stubs
To remove scanners and use paper tickets.

Sakuma Brothers Farms has introduced electronic scanners in place of paper
tickets for documentation of pounds picked which calculates their wages.
This new system hampers the picker's ability to keep track of their
production and limits their ability to dispute inaccurate entries. This
violates workers rights to wage transparency. Pickers should be made whole
by returning to paper tickets and the removal of underage youth from checker
positions.


4. No más intimidación a los trabajadores. Demand not met
To cease intimidation of workers.

Pickers have experienced harassment based upon race and indigenous identity
in the workplace. This violates state laws against harassment and a hostile
workplace and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Sakuma Brothers
Farm policy against intimidation and violence in the workplace. Pickers
should be made whole, including but not limited to, enforcement of company
policy and Sakuma Brothers Farm should cease and desist racial and ethnic
harassment as required by law.


5. No queremos a ------ como mayordomo. Demand Met July 14, 2013
We want disrespectful supervisor removed as a crew boss.

Pickers have identified a specific crew boss supervisor as being unbearably
hostile. This violates state laws against harassment and a hostile workplace
and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Pickers should be made whole,
including but not limited to, the dismissal of said supervisor.


6. Mejor trato a los trabajadores, respeto, lugar limpio, cabinas con mejor
condiciones, no gritos ni amenazas. Demand not met
Better treatment of workers, respect, clean place to live, better maintained
conditions, no yelling or threats.

Pickers want to be treated with human dignity in the workplace and labor
camps. Substandard living accommodations, unsanitary facilities, and
racialized hostilities violate the migrant's human rights. Pickers should be
made whole, including but not limited to, maintenance and betterment of
labor camp by Sakuma Brothers Farms and that labor camp managers cease and
desist hostility and harassment as required by law.


7. No forzar a trabajar en tiempo de enfermedad. No tocar las puertas.
Demand not met
Not to be forced to work when they are sick. Not to knock on doors.

Pickers have been denied sick leave. This violates workers human rights.
Pickers should be made whole, including but not limited to; supervisors
cease and desist the practice of knocking on the door of sick workers to
force them to work.


8. No obligar a traer comprobantes por falta de trabajo. Demand not met
To not require proof for missing work.

Pickers have been unjustly required to provide professional documentation
for missing work. This violates workers right to privacy. Pickers should be
made whole by a discontinuation of the practice of requiring professional
documentation for absences.


9. No falta de respeto a los trabajadores. Demand not met
Do not disrespect workers.

Indigenous pickers are not treated with respect at Sakuma Brothers Farm.
This violates their human dignity and violates state anti-harassment and
anti-hostility laws. Workers should be made whole, including but not limited
to, the cease and desist of disrespectful and racist language such as
"oaxaquita," "indio," "estupido," and the use of stereotypes around inherent
"laziness," "drunkeness," or "dirtiness" of Triqui and Mixteco farmworkers
by Sakuma Brothers Farm executives, administrators, crop management, crew
bosses, checkers and co-workers via receiving mandatory sensitivity and
undoing racism training, and dismissal following failure to comply.

10. No intimidación por la parte de mayordomos. Demand not met
No intimidation by supervisors.

Pickers have experienced racialized and gendered harassment and hostility by
their supervisors, for example yelling and screaming at women in front of
their husbands. This violates state laws against harassment and hostile
workplaces and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as Sakuma
Brothers Farm policy against intimidation and violence in the workplace.
Workers should be made whole, including but not limited to, supervisors
ceasing and desisting harassment based on race and gender as required by law
and also receive mandatory effective sensitivity and undoing racism
training, and dismissal following failure to comply.


11. Si nos corren que nos paguen todo y pasajes por venir y de regreso.
Demand not met.
If we are fired we want our travel expenses to be paid round-trip.

Pickers are concerned that they will be fired for work stoppages,
complaints, grievances and demands for better wages. This violates the
workers good faith in negotiating their wages with their employer, their
freedom of association, and anti-retaliation labor law. Workers should be
made whole should they be fired for striking, by being reimbursed round-trip
cost of transportation required to migrate to work out of state that were
incurred in order to work for Sakuma Brothers Farms.


12. Porque no trajeron a trabajadores huespedes a la fresa? Demand not met.
Why didn't Sakuma Brothers Farm request guest workers for the strawberry
harvest?

Sakuma Brothers Farms has applied for H2A workers for the blueberry harvest
in August. Pickers want to know why the farm had not applied for H2A workers
for the strawberry harvest if there was a labor shortage. The pickers claim
that there is no labor shortage and that it is unfair that guest workers are
getting paid $12.00 per hour, while they are earning a maximum of $9.19 per
hour.


13. Que pagen overtime. Demand not met.
To be paid overtime.

Pickers routinely work over 40 hours a week without overtime compensation.
This violates state minimum wage and federal labor laws. Workers should be
made whole, by being paid overtime and restoration of any pay that is owed.


14. Problemas con childcare. Demand not met.
Problems with childcare.

Pickers have experienced problems with childcare. This interferes with their
ability to work as much as they are required. Workers should be made whole,
including but not limited to, adequate childcare or reasonable working
hours.


Other press coverage:


Indian Country Today:

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/07/18/indigenous-mexican-farmworkers-and-health-effects-racism-150466#.UejE-mF_B1E.gmail


The Stranger Online:

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/07/17/striking-haagen-dazs-berry-pickers-return-to-work

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/07/15/haagen-dazs-berry-pickers-strike-against-racism-and-meager-wages-in-skagit-county


Environmental Justice Food Blog:

http://ejfood.blogspot.com/2013/07/sakuma-brothers-unique-farm-worker.html


Spanish Language Coverage:

http://radiobilingue.org/programas/linea-abierta/paro-en-el-campo-ademas-napolitano-en-la-uc/

http://www.larazanw.com/article/20130719/NEWS03/130719956


For current updates and how you can support farmworker justice,
www.foodjustice.org and
www.facebook.com/community2community,www.facebook.com/c2caguiladelnorte



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