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Join NowVICTORY: L.A. School Board Tells Gerawan Farms to Honor It’s Workers’ Union Contracts
Gerawan Farming employs over 5,000 workers at peak harvest season, selling peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and grapes under its Prima label. Our friends at United Farm Workers have been working hard to protect the union rights of the Gerawan Farm workers. When the Los Angeles Unified School District Board, who contracts to purchase Gerawan’s products, announced they would vote on a resolution asking its procurement office to inform the board about Gerawan’s Farming’s compliance with fair labor practice, UFW sprung into action to make it a reality.
UFW started a petition thanking the board for taking up the issue and urging them to approve the resolution. One hundred Gerawan farm workers traveled by bus to hand the board members a petition signed by over 10,000 supporters, including thousands of MoveOn members. The board voted 6-0 in favor of the resolution, giving UFW and thousands of farmworkers, a well deserved victory. Sí, se puede!
Check out what United Farm Workers president, Arturo S. Rodriguez had to say:
One hundred Gerawan farm workers who gave up a day’s pay to travel more than 200 miles from Madera and Fresno to Los Angeles witnessed an important victory on Feb. 10 when the L.A. Unified School District Board of Education voted nearly unanimously to urge this giant Central Valley grower to implement its workers’ state-issued union contract. The resolution by board member Steve Zimmer also asked the school district’s procurement office to let it know about Gerawan Farming’s compliance with fair labor practices before contracts with the nation’s biggest tree fruit grower are approved by the board. The Gerawan workers handed the school board petitions signed by more than 12,500 supporters, many of them MoveOn members. Similar resolutions are coming up soon in San Francisco, Washington, D.C and New York City.