WA ILWU Local 19 Refused To Load Driscoll Berries On Cruise Ship To Support Sakuma Farm Workers

WA ILWU Local 19 Refused To Load Driscoll Berries On Cruise Ship To Support Sakuma Farm Workers
http://www.themilitant.com/2016/8037/803732.html
Washington berry pickers win union representation vote MT. VERNON, Wash. — “We won 192 votes for the union and the company got 52,” Ramón Torres, president of the farmworkers union Familias Unidas por la Justicia (Families United for Justice), told a gathering of 250 Sakuma Brothers Farms berry pickers, family members and supporters Sept. 12. They enjoyed a barbecue and live music while waiting at the United Steelworkers hall here to hear the results of the union representation election. Torres’ announcement in Spanish was followed by a translation into the indigenous Mixteca language, spoken by many workers who hail from southern Mexico. The victory was the product of a fight that began with a series of strikes in 2013 in the berry fields of the Skagit River Valley, 60 miles north of Seattle. Workers at Sakuma Farms struck this summer during the strawberry harvest and again during the blueberry and blackberry season. While waiting for the election results, longtime union supporter Benito Lopez told the Militant he was confident in a positive outcome. “People who weren’t with us before are supporting us now,” he said. “They feel mistreated by the company and they see the union keeping on and supporting them.” “We talked to a lot of people and explained what Familias Unidas is all about” leading up to the election, Javier Ramirez said. “This is just the first step,” union Vice President Felimon Pineda told the Militant. “We still have to win a contract. That’s what the workers are waiting for.” Rich Austin Jr., president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 19 in Seattle, who attended the celebration, told the Militant that longshoremen refused to load Driscoll’s brand berries from Sakuma on cruise ships. As part of the agreement leading up to the election, Familias Unidas called off a boycott of Driscoll’s and Sakuma berries. — Clay Dennison