Ascension- St. Paul Catholic Church
7005 Ascension Dr., Normandy, Mo, 63121. Phone: 314-385-6750 Fax 314-385-6965
11:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 8
Clergy delegation from St. Louis challenges Driscoll after Calif. strawberry giant paid for trip to view condition in California berry fields
Three religious leaders from St. Louis whose trip to personally examine conditions for berry workers in California was paid for by Driscoll Strawberry Associates have returned home to contests claims of the nation’s largest shipper of fresh strawberries.
The three, all Catholics, are Fr. Steve Joyce, pastor of Ascension/St. Paul Church, Fr. Steve Robeson, associate pastor of St. Blaise Church and Alicia Alvarado, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of St. Louis. They spent June 17 touring fields operated by four growers who ship their strawberries through Driscoll at the invitation of Driscoll and Schnuck, the large St. Louis-based supermarket chain. The three spent much time with senior Driscoll officials and met with pickers who labor for Driscoll growers both in the fields at four different ranches and at night in workers’ homes.
Frs. Joyce and Robeson and Ms. Alvarado will detail their findings for reporters at 11:30 a.m., on Wednesday, July 8 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 600 No. Euclid in St. Louis. The complete text of the delegation’s report will be made available then. (It can also be found on the United Farm Workers’ web site, www.ufw.org.)
Members of the delegation travelled to California’s Central Coast, he heart of strawberry-growing country, after top executives from Driscoll and Schnuck urged them to make their own evaluation about charges from the United Farm Workers of low pay and abuses of Driscoll berry workers. The UFW is in the midst of a major organizing campaign among berry workers. Among the clergy’s observations based on lengthy exchanges with workers from Driscoll-affiliated ranches are the following:
* Pickers at Driscoll-contract farms endure a "frantic" pace performing physically demanding labor for as long as 10 hours a day "with minimal breaks."
* The clergy found toilets they inspected in the fields were clean. However, workers said company supervisors had replaced dirty toilets that had not been cleaned for more than a week with new clean facilities just before the delegation arrived. The clergy also heard complaints from pickers of stomach problems from drinking water supplied in the fields.
* Despite Driscoll claims that UFW stories about poverty-level wages are false, workers repeated complained to the delegation about pay that is so low that they can’t afford to get by. Even when annual pay is computed based on rates alleged by Driscoll, pickers’ earnings are still well below the federal poverty line.
* Pickers for one prominent Driscoll grower, Miles Reiter Farms, complained that they are made to work "off the clock" without pay, which is the subject of a major federal class action lawsuit berry workers filed last year.
* Workers cited concerns about job-related injuries and losing their jobs if they become pregnant.
* Despite assurances from Driscoll that it is "neutral" on the issue unionization, the clergy representatives said workers cited growers’ "harsh intimidation tactics" against pickers who supported the UFW. Workers said supervisors frequently attack the UFW. Laborers at one Driscoll ranch noted that the owner had previously shut down his ranch after workers voted for the union. And the clergy discovered Driscoll has hired "union-busting" labor consultant who have insulted pro-UFW pickers.
(Press: For more information call Fr. Steve Joyce at 314-385-6750 or Fr. Steve Robeson at 314-739-0230)
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Report of Findings from St. Louis Religious Leaders Visit to Investigate the Conditions of Strawberry Workers on Farms that Contract with Driscoll Strawberry Associates on June 17, 1998
I. Background on Participants
Driscoll Strawberry Associates is the world’s largest producer of strawberries and raspberries. Driscoll Strawberry Associates contracts with over 100 California growers. Driscoll growers employ some 5,000 farm workers in California. Though Driscoll Strawberry Associates does not technically own any of the growing operations which produce their berries, eight of the members of the Driscoll Board of Directors grow berries marketed under the Driscoll label. Five of these growers control the majority of Driscoll berry producing acreage, and four of them each own over 10% of the company stock.
Schnuck Markets is the largest supermarket in the St. Louis-area. With over 80 stores, Schnucks is one of the Midwest’s largest retailers. Schnucks is also one of the nation’s biggest customers of Driscoll Strawberry Associates.
The participants in the visit to Watsonville and Salinas, California were: Sr. Alicia Alvarado, former Director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of St. Louis (currently Director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Cleveland); Fr. Steve Robeson, Associate Pastor of St. Blaise Catholic Church and a member of the International Justice and Peace committee, a committee within the Archdiocesan Human Rights Commission; Fr. Steve Joyce, Pastor of Ascension St. Paul Catholic Church and a member of the Labor and Religion committee, a committee within the Archdiocesan Human Rights Commission; and Joni Taylor, Consumer Advocate for Schnuck Markets.
All three religious leaders have been involved in social justice ministry for years, including work in support of the rights of workers to organize. They have supported the legacy of Cesar Chavez, and have attended recent events organized by the United Farm Workers who are organizing strawberry workers in California.
This winter, the religious leaders had heard concerns from workers from Driscoll Strawberry Associates contract ranches during a tour berry workers did in St. Louis. The participants heard from two workers employed at a Driscoll ranch for seven years that there had never been any soap for hand washing. These same workers told us that many times over the years, pesticides have been sprayed in the fields close to where they are working- a clear violation of state regulations.
During the winter berry worker tour in St. Louis, workers at Driscoll contract ranches also told the participants that they were afraid to wear union t-shirts or buttons for fear of reprisals. Workers who rent houses from company employees were told they would lose their homes if the union won. One worker who used to pick Driscoll berries for a sharecropper reported that the foreman wore a pistol to the fields. They were afraid to ask for their paychecks much less complain about conditions.
At the conclusion of their visit to California, the religious leaders decided to produce a report on their findings in an effort to disseminate information to a broader audience and to communicate their sense of urgency on this issue.
II. How the Trip Came About
Members of the St. Louis community sent letters to Schnuck Markets earlier this year, asking Schnucks to encourage Driscoll Strawberry Corporation (who supply most of Schnucks’ strawberries) "to engage in a cooperative process with the United Farm Workers." Later a joint letter from the delegation participants as well as Eldora Spiegelberg of the Religious Society of Friends (sometimes called the Quakers), and Rev. Dr. Jennifer Phillips from Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Louis urged Schnucks to use their influence with Driscoll.
In order to clarify Driscoll Strawberry Associates’ position, Schnucks arranged a meeting between the religious leaders and the top leadership of Driscoll Strawberry Associates in St. Louis on June 10, and for the religious leaders and Schnucks to visit Watsonville on June 17.
Ken Morena, President of Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Phil Adrian, Public Relations director; J. Miles Reiter, owner of Miles Reiter strawberry ranch and Chairman of Driscoll, and Marguerita Arista, Reiter Farms Human Resources Director attended the June 10 meeting in St. Louis.
The religious leaders shared their concerns about conditions at Driscoll contract ranches and the rights of workers to organize a union. Driscoll presented their position on worker organizing and the conditions at their farms. After the religious leaders, Schnucks, and Driscoll Strawberry Associates exchanged information in St. Louis, everyone parted in agreement on the point that the four St. Louis visitors would visit Driscoll workers the following week and hear for themselves how workers felt about organizing a union and what kind of conditions exist. The religious leaders stipulated that they could only travel to California if the religious leaders were completely in charge of which workers they would talk to, and that the religious leaders and Schnucks representative would hear the same input. The trip was not to be controlled by Driscoll or Schnucks in any way.
Driscoll Strawberry Associates paid for the delegation to visit Driscoll contract farms and Schnucks arranged the logistics for travel.
III. Schedule of June 17
The religious leaders and Schnucks representative visited four Driscoll contract ranches on June 17: Salinas Berry Farms, Reiter Berry Farms, Clint Miller Farms, and a sharecropper that contracts with Driscoll. Driscoll Public Relations Director Phil Adrian accompanied us throughout the day, as well as other Driscoll personnel. In the evening, a UFW organizer accompanied the religious leaders’ visits with two groups of workers in their homes.
IV. Conditions at Driscoll Contract Farms
During Driscoll’s visit to St. Louis and in their literature, Driscoll told the delegation that Driscoll contract farms had no problems with field sanitation, that workers had job security, and that conditions were among the best in the industry.
During our visit to the first farm, we just observed the workers for a good while. The work pace was frantic. It was inconceivable to us that people could do this for 10 hours with minimal breaks!
Workers at some farms worried about getting arthritis from picking in the rain. A pregnant woman told us of her fear that she would lose her job if she quit working during her pregnancy. They said supervisors often rush them to work faster. One couple also mentioned that back injuries were very common among their peers, although the supervisor denied this when we asked him. We asked some other workers and they said they did not know of too many people who had back injuries.
During visits in the evening to workers homes, we heard that at Miles Reiter Berry Farms, if no workers get hurt on the job, everybody on the crew gets a bonus of 2 cents/box of berries picked. This created a backwards incentive for workers not to report any injury, and a pressure from peers to be silent. Otherwise the crew loses their bonus.
We inspected the bathrooms at several fields. They were all fine.
But when visiting workers homes, we heard information that concerned us. Some complained of stomach aches from the water they are given on the job. At one farm, a worker reported that the supervisors brought in new bathrooms to the fields the day before our delegation came. She reported that the old bathrooms had been left dirty for over a week before that. She then joked that it would be great if the religious leaders could come out every week! At the end of the evening, on our way back to the hotel, the delegation joked that we had accomplished something for the workers by making the trip!
V. Pay and Benefits at Driscoll Contract Farms
In meetings with Driscoll Strawberry Associates and in information Driscoll has distributed, Driscoll has claimed that workers at Driscoll farms receive $8.60 an hour and that UFW claims of poverty-level wages at Driscoll contract farms are false.
In the delegation’s visits to farms and workers homes, workers repeatedly spoke about how difficult it was to get by on so little pay. Workers trying to form a union spoke forcefully about how little they are paid for such draining work. Even where workers did not openly declare whether they wanted a union or not, pay seemed to be an issue. At three of the four Driscoll contract ranches most of the workers the delegation spoke with voiced concern about how difficult it was to live on the wages they earned. Only at one ranch, where workers in fact appeared to be making more money, did workers say they were satisfied with wages.
Some workers were, indeed receiving the equivalent of $8.60 an hour, others were receiving closer to $6 an hour, so it was difficult to compute an average. But we learned that the hourly rate fluctuates throughout the year, because of the piece rate. Driscoll has written that the average field employee working for a Driscoll grower earns approximately between $11,500 and $13,000 for a season. ("The Burden of Leadership: The Driscoll’s Story") Even giving Driscoll the benefit of the doubt, this is still well below the federal poverty line of $16,000 for a family of four.
During our visits to workers homes, we heard workers from Driscoll grower Miles Reiter complain that at breaks, when the whistle blows they punch out on their time card, but some workers are still working, waiting in a line to turn in their berries, sometimes for 10, 20 or even 30 minutes without being paid. These are clear wage and hour violations.
The second house meeting we attended was in a home with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Due to the low income of the workers and the rent being $800 per month, there are at least ten people sharing this home in order to cover expenses. Many of them end up sleeping on the floor.
While visiting a farm, we were introduced to a 62- year old worker. He told us about his working situation and that at the beginning of each season, his employment application was denied. He was told over and over that there were no openings at the present time, but the worker feels that the company did not want him hired because he would not be able to work at the same pace as the other workers, due to his age. When he did work, his supervisors continually pressured him to work faster. He finds these constant reminders of his age and his inability to keep up with other co-workers demeaning to his personal dignity. When asked, Driscoll informed us that there was no retirement or pension plan for field workers.
VI. Is Driscoll Neutral?
Driscoll Strawberry Associates told the delegation and has distributed material to the public indicating that they are completely neutral on the issue of unionization. Driscoll Strawberry Associates said that their growers would respect the wishes of workers at their ranches,
During Driscoll’s visit to St. Louis, we mentioned several actions to Driscoll that called into question Driscoll’s neutrality: a letter from Miles Reiter to Reiter Berry Farm employees headed "THE TRUTH"; a "NO TRESPASS, NO UFW" sign that Miles Reiter sent to his employees; and a history of workers voting for the union five times in the strawberry industry, and five times strawberry companies shutting down shortly after the vote, including two Driscoll farms.
During the meeting in St. Louis, Driscoll Strawberry Associates confirmed that they helped fund the grower-front group known as the Strawberry Workers and Farmers Alliance. Driscoll also confirmed that they had hired labor consultant (also know as a "union buster") Joe Sanchez, but denied that they hired Sanchez to engage in "union busting."
We ended the meeting in St. Louis by agreeing to visit with workers to determine whether Driscoll was neutral, and whether workers were in fact fearful of a vote.
When we visited Watsonville, we spoke with workers openly trying to form a union at Driscoll, workers who kept their opinions private, and workers who were openly against the union.
When we visited workers at Driscoll grower Miles Reiter, workers reported that Driscoll farm supervisors had told them "the union was no good." During a discussion the delegation had with a supervisor at Salinas Berry Farms, the supervisor at the farm said the pro-union workers were just lying about being rushed and harassed. The supervisor also said the union leaders just want to get the 2% of the workers’ paychecks for union dues, and that the leaders drive around in big cars, sit on their behinds all day, drink coffee, and eat donuts.
When we spoke with workers in their homes, workers expressed more fears and concerns. The workers spoke of the harsh intimidation tactics against anyone who organized for the union. At the first home, we were shown a financial statement dated July 4, 1997, (available from public information sources) that showed the grower had paid $1,732.50, split among four labor "consultants." These consultants came to the farm and insulted the workers for being pro-union.
The workers who recounted stories of these union busters worked for Salinas Berry Farms, owned by Bill Flory. In 1980, workers at Driscoll Ranch voted 115 to 35 for the UFW. After unsuccessfully challenging the election, growers Tom Driscoll and Bill Flory closed the ranch.
VII. CONCLUSION
Throughout the last few months of our involvement, Driscoll Strawberry Associates has insisted that Driscoll is neutral on the union issue and that the United Farm Workers has misrepresented the conditions in the fields. When we met with Driscoll Strawberry Associates in St. Louis, we all parted in agreement on the point that the four St. Louis visitors would hear for themselves whether workers are afraid and how their conditions are.
Clearly, conditions in the strawberry fields have improved at Driscoll Strawberry Associates since workers began organizing to change their conditions and the public has given more attention to what is happening in California’s strawberry fields. Nevertheless, we heard real concerns from workers at Driscoll contract farms about poverty level wages, back injuries due to the rigorous work, supervisors pressuring workers to pick faster, fear of job loss due to pregnancy, and "wage and hour" violations.
Of equal concern, Driscoll continues a campaign against workers trying to form a union and is unwilling to acknowledge or rectify the damage and fear they have helped create among workers.
Toward the end of our time with Driscoll in Watsonville, Fr. Robeson told Driscoll’s Phil Adrian we had of course heard pro-union and anti-union views all day from workers, and suggested that Driscoll’s leadership be more willing to meet with the UFW. Adrian was getting gradually more excited (while driving) trying to make the case that Driscoll would be thrilled if the UFW would just come onto the fields and "have the vote" as California law allows, and be done with the matter. He said this law, which Chavez fought for, was a "good law." He was pounding on the steering wheel by now, repeating the call to the UFW to just "have the vote." Phil made a wrong turn in the heat of the discussion, and apologized for this and said he gets a little passionate about all of this.
Driscoll is clearly not being realistic. We are concerned that Driscoll invokes the name of Cesar Chavez and the law he and so many others fought for, when they do not acknowledge the history they have participated in making.
Historically, it takes people time to prepare for a democratic act like a vote on their rights and needs. This includes issues of economic democracy, such as voting about a union. The time needed is even greater when workers have memories of mistreatment from a certain industry, as is the case of the farm workers. Driscoll Strawberry Associates and their contract growers have hired labor consultants who have insulted workers trying to organize a union. Supervisors tell workers that the union is no good. In the last twenty years, and as recently as 1995, Driscoll contract growers and other strawberry growers have shut down within months of workers voting for the union. This kind of history and its residue of fear in workers’ hearts cannot be healed just by corporate leaders saying they are neutral about unions, and certainly cannot be healed if supervisors continue to speak and act against the union.
None of the Driscoll leadership addressed our concerns about healing the fear that is left from the past, nor correcting the behavior of supervisors who clearly express to workers the anti-union sentiments held by the owners of Driscoll contract ranches.
Driscoll Strawberry Associates President Ken Morena told us that if we found anything wrong on a Driscoll contract farm during our visit, he would fix it.
We ask Driscoll Strawberry Associates to sign an agreement calling on Driscoll growers to remain neutral while pickers organize without fear of retaliation before more elections are held. Another large strawberry grower, Coastal Berry Company, has signed just such an agreement.
We urge all those concerned about the conditions farm workers face to urge Driscoll Strawberry Corporation to engage in a cooperative process with the United Farm Workers.