Friday, October 31, 1997
Berries aren’t always sweet
LABOR: ASUCLA should join the fight for more equitable work
conditions
By Andres Martinez
Strawberries: What comes to mind as you think of strawberries?
Do you think of milkshakes, cakes, desserts in general? Have you
ever thought about the working and living conditions of the people
that pick this delicious, yet backbreaking fruit? Probably not,
since rarely do we think about where our food comes from. However,
the living and working conditions of the people who put the food we
eat on our plates are atrocious and can be compared to slave
labor.
The strawberry industry in California is booming – $522 million
worth of berry sales last year. Of all the fresh strawberries
shipped in the United States, 75 percent came from California in
1995. The strawberry industry has consolidated in California’s
Central Coast, the heart of the strawberry country, into eight
corporations which are making tremendous profits. The profits are
very lopsided. For example, workers who pick berries for the
Gargiulo Co., which is linked to the Monsanto Corp., typically
receive about $8,500 a year, while officers in Monsanto receive
over $1 million.
While these strawberry barons are feasting, the people who pick
their fruits are suffering. Lack of fresh drinking water,
pesticide-coated fields, filthy bathrooms, and chronic back
injuries sustained during 12-hour workdays are common hardships
endured by workers. This is the harsh reality that many of us will
never undergo. Another forgotten aspect is the fact that child
labor still exists. Governmental agencies that regulate the law are
largely "underemployed" (or corrupted by corporate power), yet it
is not difficult to see children and young teenagers forced to work
full-time in the fields. The law clearly prohibits child labor,
while also requiring fresh drinking water and clean bathrooms in
every field.
According to the California Institute for Rural Studies, an
independent research organization, 5 cents per pint would increase
piece pay rates for most strawberry workers by at least half. Just
5 cents can dramatically affect a workers’ life by allowing him to
make a living wage and therefore support his family.
As conscientious people, we are faced with the task of helping
strawberry workers by educating others about their issues. The
United Farm Workers union has been at the forefront of unionizing
and supporting strawberry workers since the early 1990’s. The UFW
has campaigned to unionize the workers. They have also pressured
many large-scale corporations to endorse strawberry workers’ rights
by accepting that the workers are a vital part of the
food-production system. Many companies have agreed to support
workers’ rights, which include a living wage, proper field
sanitation, job security, health insurance, and an end to sexual
harassment and other abuses. Among these companies are Vons,
Ralphs, Lucky, and other supermarkets. The corporations endorsing
the pledge are encouraging the multimillion-dollar strawberry
industry to recognize the basic rights of workers.
On a more local level, MEChA de UCLA is advocating for ASUCLA to
agree to these same rights for workers. The student-run operations
of
ASUCLA should join the strawberry workers’ struggle because this
is an issue of grave importance, especially when you are dealing
with 20,000 strawberry workers who are earning incomes below the
poverty line and are facing corporate greed with little or no
defense. The workers and their families are facing a future filled
with poverty and a lack of progress, as well as a very hostile
antilabor trend in the 1990s. By having ASUCLA sign on to the
strawberry campaign, the berry industry can reconsider how much
support the workers have throughout the country and in this manner
possibly convince the strawberry industry to change their
exploitative and criminal ways in dealing with the workers. We must
let the strawberry industry know that students are concerned and we
will not tolerate these injustices. Should this massive
exploitation continue unchecked, or should we, as conscientious
people, support strawberry workers and their rights to fight for
dignity and respect? This is more of an ethical question than an
option.