Dozens Of Field Pickers Protest Working Conditions

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.turnto23.com/news/19573269/detail.html

Workers Want Another Chance At Picking Blueberries

POSTED: 5:33 pm PDT May 26, 2009
UPDATED: 6:44 pm PDT May 26, 2009

DELANO, Calif. -- Dozens of blueberry pickers took to the streets of Delano Tuesday afternoon in protest of what they said are unfair working conditions.

The United Farm Workers Union said nearly 300 field workers have been fired in two days for not picking enough berries.

Workers said they were promised three days of work to see if they could pull off a five box load, but when they couldn't meet that goal on the first day, they were fired.

Dozens of fired field workers lined Avenue Eight in Delano near Road 200 with UFW flags in protest of Munger Farms.

A representative for the UFW said a group of those workers contacted them Tuesday after being fired. The UFW said the workers are asked to work in “terrible” working conditions and are deprived of appropriate breaks.

One former worker, Elias Sandoval, said he was hired Monday morning and was promised three days of work, but at the end of the day he was fired.

FULL story and video at link.

[jkshaw]

1. As I commented at the link, the farmer appears caught

in the middle. It's the company he's supplying that's offering such a low price for the fruit that the farmer has to act like a slave driver to meet the conditions. It's the company that should be called out. However, if I were the farmer, I would be hard put to push workers in such a way. Judging from the working conditions there, he doesn't have qualms in that regard.

Farmers and workers both should combine their forces on the tight-fisted company that creates these conditions. I really do like blueberries, but I'll be sure to buy locally from a family farm (as we are) rather than enriching an out-of-state company loathe to take a cut in its profits.