Steve Leigh reports from Washington state on a major win for 500 farmworkers.
Farmworkers march for union recognition in Washington state (Familias Unidas por la Justicia)
THREE YEARS after the strikes that launched their union, workers at Sakuma Bros. farms in the Skagit Valley north of Seattle, are reporting several victories.
According to a statement issued early this month by Ramon Torres and Felimon Pineda, president and vice president of the union, Familias Unidas por la Justicia (Families United for Justice, or FUJ):
[W]e have officially agreed to an election and negotiation process for a collective bargaining agreement with Sakuma Bros. Berry Farm. Thanks to your tireless efforts we are entering into this next phase of our union's development with hope and determination. At this time, we are calling for an end of the boycott and all boycott activities.
Results of the election were announced this week: over three-quarters of the 500 farmworkers at Sakuma voted in favor of FUJ representing them. "This win is a win for all farmworkers, " said Torres. "Now we will be getting ready for a union contract negotiation process."
There are many issues that led to the organizing among farmworkers at Sakuma. Workers get no rest breaks during days that lasted 12 hours or longer. The company charged deposits for their housing. Piece rates often yield less than the Washington state minimum wage of $9.47 an hour, and foremen are abusive.
For undocumented workers, the company withholds Social Security contributions, even though they will never receive benefits. Workers labor in grueling conditions well into their 60s because there is no pension plan. And the farmworkers are exposed to dangerous chemicals on the job--at least five known ones, according to the union.
Since its founding the demands of FUJ have included a minimum wage of $15 an hour, compensation for sick leave, job security, respect, a clean workplace and better housing.
Sakuma workers went on strike as early as 2004, but since the summer of 2013, there have been no fewer than eight strikes. A recent strike took place on June 10 when more than 100 workers walked out and won an increase in pay from $.24 to $.28 per pound of strawberries picked. That's compared to a store price for Driscoll's strawberries of at least $3 a pound. There was also another work stoppage in August around similar issues
A march and rally of several hundred on July 11 to the headquarters of Sakuma Bros. was instrumental in starting the process toward negotiations. Shortly after that, the company agreed to talk about talking, and ultimately agreed to the election.
Even before this breakthrough, organizing had achieved some gains. A deposit is no longer required for company housing. Sakuma's attempt in 2014 to replace the mostly Indigenous Mexican workforce with people working under the H2A temporary visa program was defeated.
Strikes in 2013 won the reinstatement of terminated worker Federico Lopez, the firing of an abusive supervisor, $6,000 in back pay for young workers, an agreement against retaliation, and a temporary minimum wage of $12 an hour. The union also won a lawsuit requiring the company to provide rest breaks and back pay for workers who hadn't received them.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
THE LATEST victories should be celebrated and studied. The odds against the union were tremendous.
Migrant farm work is difficult to organize because there is so much turnover from year to year. Workers have only a short period of maximum leverage during a harvest. Many of the workers have no formal legal rights in the U.S. There is also a language barrier between workers who speak Spanish and those who speak the Indigenous languages of Triqui and Mixteco.
In spite of these obstacles, the workers at Sakuma Bros. displayed impressive levels of organization, persistence and courage.
The boycott of products from Sakuma its distributor, Driscoll's, was certainly an important support for workers organizing in the fields. But the key factor has been the workers' ability to shut down production during the harvest period. These strikes, even sometimes only lasting a day, along with the boycott were enough to force the company to come to the table.
The election is an important milestone, but there is more to be done. The union will need to negotiate a first contract. Companies often drag this process out in hopes of undermining and finally destroying the union.
Given the anti-union history of the U.S., one thing to keep an eye on will be any future calls for boycotts. With the old boycott ended and harvest season over, there could be less pressure on the company to live up to its commitment to good-faith negotiations.
Supporters of the FUJ should celebrate, but don't throw away your picket signs just yet! Keep them handy in case we have to leap back into action in support of Familias Unidas por la Justicia.