3/28/98: New York, NY
12 noon, Saturday, March 28, Down Broadway,
Steinem, Fields, Huerta, women berry workers
march against sex bias & abuse in Calif. fields
New York will witness a unique celebration of Women’s History Month on Saturday.
More than 1,000 persons–including women strawberry workers from California–will join Gloria Steinem, Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta as they march down Broadway to protest sexual discrimination in West Coast berry fields.
Focus of their protest is Driscoll, the nation’s largest strawberry corporation. Last year, berry workers filed three major federal class action suit against growers who contract with Driscoll. They charged Driscoll growers with forcing pickers to labor without pay, work breaks or to provide proper overtime pay, and engaging in alleged widespread sex discrimination against women workers. The overtime and sex bias suits were settled.
Berry workers laboring for Driscoll growers face low pay, pesticide-treated fields and threats or firing if they band together with the UFW. A major union organizing drive on behalf of 20,000 California berry workers seeks to improve pay and conditions despite bitter opposition from the state’s $600 million-a-year strawberry industry. The schedule for Saturday, March 28, 1998 is as follows:
12 noon- Rally and press availability with Steinem, Fields, Huerta and women strawberry workers from California at 97th between Amsterdam and Broadway in Manhattan.
12:45 p.m.- March goes down Broadway towards 72nd St., passing a dozen food stores, many carrying Driscoll berries.
1:45 p.m.- Rally at Broadway & 73nd St.
Buses of marchers are arriving from upstate New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
After berry pickers voted for the UFW at three large California strawberry ranches in recent years, growers fired pickers, plowed under fields and temporarily shut down operations rather than bargain for union contracts.
Saturday’s event is one of many observances honoring Cesar Chavez’s birthday taking place throughout the country.
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9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 28
UFW leader Arturo Rodriguez & thousands march
to mark Cesar Chavez’s birthday, boost union
strawberry drive as Calif. harvest begins
As strawberry harvesting gets underway on California’s Central Coast three days before Cesar Chavez’s birthday, hundreds will march Saturday in San Antonio to support a major United Farm Workers organizing drive aimed at ending abuses of West Coast berry pickers. It is the second annual march honoring the legendary farm labor leader who died in 1993.
The march will be led by UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, City Councilmembers Roger Flores and Rick Vasquez as well as labor, Latino, religious and community activists, marchers. It will focus on Driscoll, America’s largest strawberry corporation. San Antonio native Rodriguez, 48, Chavez’s successor and son-in-law, has lead a successful UFW field organizing campaign in recent years.
Last year, California strawberry pickers filed three major federal class action lawsuits against growers that contract with Driscoll, the nation’s largest strawberry corporation. The growers were charged with forcing pickers to labor without pay, work breaks or full overtime, and engaging in alleged widespread sex discrimination against women workers. The overtime and sex bias suits were settled.
Berry workers laboring for Driscoll growers face low pay, pesticide-treated fields and threats or firing if they band together with the UFW. The union’s organizing drive on behalf of 20,000 California berry workers seeks to improve pay and conditions despite bitter opposition from the state’s $600 million-a-year strawberry industry. The San Antonio schedule for Saturday, March 28, 1998 is as follows:
9:30 a.m.-Brief press availability; then march kicks off from corner of Market & Alamo Sts., across from Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center.
11 a.m.-Rally at Milam Park, corner of Santa Rosa and West Commerce Sts.
After berry pickers voted for the UFW at three large California strawberry ranches in recent years, growers fired pickers, plowed under fields and shut down operations rather than bargain for union contracts.
Sunday’s event is one of many observances honoring Cesar Chavez’s birthday taking place throughout the country.
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1 p.m. Sunday, March 29
Brown, Burton, Rodriguez march with thousands
to boost UFW strawberry drive as ’98 harvest begins
As strawberry harvesting gets underway on California’s Central Coast two days before Cesar Chavez’s birthday, thousands will march Sunday in San Francisco to support a major United Farm Workers organizing drive aimed at ending abuses of berry pickers.
Led by UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, Mayor Willie Brown, state Senate leader John Burton, NOW President Patricia Ireland, AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez Thompson, UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta and berry workers, marchers will focus on Driscoll, America’s largest strawberry corporation.
Last year, strawberry pickers filed three major federal class action lawsuits against growers who contract with Driscoll. The growers were charged with forcing pickers to labor without pay, work breaks ithout pay or failed to provide proper overtime pay and engaging in alleged widespread sex discrimination against women workers. The overtime and sex bias suits were settled.
Berry workers laboring for Driscoll growers face low pay, pesticide-treated fields and threats or firing if they band together with the UFW. The union’s organizing drive on behalf of 20,000 California berry workers seeks to improve pay and conditions despite bitter opposition from the state’s $600 million-a-year strawberry industry. The San Francisco schedule for Sunday, March 29, 1998 is as follows:
1 p.m.- Press availability; march begins (Dolores Park, 18th & Dolores Sts. in San Francisco).
1-2 p.m.- March proceeds through Mission District to Cesar Chavez St.
2 p.m.- Rally at La Raza Park (Chavez & Potrero Sts.)
Also leading the march will be a 15′ tall Chavez puppet.
After berry pickers voted for the UFW at three large California strawberry ranches in recent years, growers fired pickers, plowed under fields and shut down operations rather than bargain for union contracts.
Sunday’s event is one of many observances honoring Cesar Chavez’s birthday taking place throughout the country.
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Sunday March 29 & Tuesday March 31
Cesar Chavez’s birthday marked with march, arts
festival, candlelight vigil & mass in S.F. Valley
Two women who were among Cesar Chavez’s closest associates in the United Farm Workers join thousands of San Fernando Valley residents honoring the legendary farm labor leader’s birthday with a march, arts and music festival on Sunday, and a candlelight vigil and Catholic mass on Tuesday. It is the fifth annual Cesar Chavez commemoration in the Valley community since the UFW founder’s death in 1993.
United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta will join the Sunday rally and union Vice President Cecilia Ruiz will attend Sunday’s march and rally and will speak following the mass on Tuesday where hundreds will break a 24-hour fast. The events on Tuesday, Chavez’s March 31 birthday, will also focus on supporting the UFW’s current organizing drive that seeks to improve the lives of 20,000 California strawberry workers.
"The greatest monument to Cesar Chavez is the courage to work for change he instilled in his own people and the continuing work of the union he founded," says his successor, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez.
More than 6,000 supermarkets in North America-including Ralphs, Vons, Lucky and Safeway-have signed agreements backing the right of berry pickers to organize without retaliation from growers. At the Tuesday events, participants will urge Whole Foods, the fashionable health foods retailer, to also sign the pledge. Whole Foods has so far refused.
The San Fernando Valley schedule is as follows:
Sunday, March 29, 1998
11 am – Rally.
12 noon – March from Brand Park, 15174 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills.
1:30 p.m. – End of march, cultural arts festival, San Fernando Recreation Park, 208 Park Ave., San Fernando.
Tuesday, March 31, 1998
6:30 p.m. – Candlelight vigil, Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, 10390 Remick Ave., Pacoima.
7 p.m. – End of voluntary fast during mass, remarks from UFW Vice President Cecilia Ruiz, Mary Immaculate Church, Pacoima.
Saturday’s and Tuesday’s event is one of many observances honoring Cesar Chavez’s birthday taking place throughout the country.
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11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 31
Hundreds march on Cesar Chavez’s birthday for UFW strawberry drive as Calif. harvest begins
As strawberry harvesting gets underway on California’s Central Coast, hundreds will march Tuesday in Chicago on Cesar Chavez’s birthday to support a major United Farm Workers organizing drive aimed at ending abuses of West Coast berry pickers.
The march will be led by labor, student and community activists, including Rev. Addie Wyatt of Vernon Park Church of God and Service Employees Intl. Union Vice President Eliseo Medina. Marchers will focus attention on Driscoll, America’s largest strawberry corporation.
Last year, strawberry pickers filed three major federal class action lawsuits against growers who contract with Driscoll. The growers were charged with forcing pickers to labor without pay, work breaks without pay or failed to provide proper overtime pay.The overtime and sex bias suits were settled.
Berry workers laboring for Driscoll growers face low pay, pesticide-treated fields and threats or firing if they band together with the UFW. The union’s organizing drive on behalf of 20,000 California berry workers seeks to improve pay and conditions despite bitter opposition from the state’s $600 million-a-year strawberry industry. The Chicago schedule for Tuesday, March 31, 1998 is as follows:
11:30 a.m. – March kicks off from Providence of God church, 717 W. 18th St. (corner of Union & 18th Sts. under Dan Ryan Expressway).
12:15 p.m. – Marchers arrive at Southwater Produce Market (15th & Blue Island Ave.) and confront Anton Marano, a top buyer of Driscoll strawberries, urging him to ask the huge agribusiness corporation to let workers organize without retaliation.
After berry pickers voted for the UFW at three large California strawberry ranches in recent years, growers fired pickers, plowed under fields and shut down operations rather than bargain for union contracts.
Tuesday’s event is one of many observances honoring Cesar Chavez’s birthday taking place throughout the country.