THREEMILE CANYON FARMS AND UFW SIGN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
(July 16, 2007, Boardman, OR) Threemile Canyon Farms and the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) announced today that they have entered into a collective bargaining agreement covering dairy and farm workers. The agreement, the first of its kind in Oregon, was ratified this week, bringing to an end all labor disputes between the UFW and Threemile Canyon Farms.
“This is an important milestone for Threemile Canyon Farms”, said Marty Myers, the General Manager at Threemile Canyon Farms. “It allows us to continue putting our values into practice in the form of a formal agreement that respects and protects workers. It also brings an end to all disputes and provides a way for all future issues to be solved peacefully. Lastly, it gives us the opportunity to focus on what we do best: producing healthy, high quality food products and bringing them to market in ways that earn the trust of our customers, neighbors and employees”, said Myers.
“Just as we remember our past,” said Arturo Rodriguez, UFW President, “we recognize that this agreement blazes a new agricultural path into the 21st century. The UFW is proud of our members and this new partnership, building respect for farmworkers. We look forward to working with Threemile Canyon Farms and joining in the promotion of their fine agricultural products. This agreement lays the groundwork for a new period in Oregon’s agricultural heritage providing stability for growers and fairness for farm workers. We honor our entire membership, native-born and immigrant, men and women in this is a new era of cooperation and mutual benefit for both the farm and them”.
The key provisions of the contract are listed below:
1. THREEMILE CANYON FARMS AND THE UNITED FARM WORKERS ENTERED INTO A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT THAT SPECIFICALLY DEFINES EACH PARTIES RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS.
2. THE AGREEMENT BRINGS TO AN END ALL LABOR DISPUTES BETWEEN THREEMILE CANYON FARMS AND THE UNITED FARM WORKERS.
3. THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHES AN ORDERLY AND EFFICIENT METHOD TO RESOLVE ALL LABOR DISPUTES.
4. THE AGREEMENT BRINGS TO AN END THE ABILITY OF EITHER PARTY TO TAKE ANY LABOR ISSUES TO THIRD PARTIES NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THREEMILE CANYON FARMS OR THE UNITED FARM WORKERS.
5. THE AGREEMENT WILL ALLOW WORKERS TO PARTICIPATE IN BOTH A MEDICAL PLAN AND PENSION PLAN SPONSORED BY THE UNITED FARM WORKERS.
6. THE AGREEMENT HAS NOW FORMALIZED THE PROCESS BY WHICH EMPLOYEES CAN ADVANCE WITHIN THE COMPANY.
7. THE AGREEMENT INCLUDES LANGUAGE THAT ENSURES THE EMPLOYEES WILL CONTINUE TO WORK IN A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT.
8. THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES THE EMPLOYEES WITH THE ABILITY TO CONTINUE PARTICIPATING IN TRAINING AT THE COMPANY.
9. THE AGREEMENT CLEARLY APPRISES WORKERS OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT EXPECTED OF THEM WHILE EMPLOYED AT THREEMILE CANYON FARMS.
10. THE AGREEMENT ALLOWS THE COMPANY SUFFICIENT FLEXIBILITY TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF ITS WORKFORCE.
11. THE AGREEMENT HAS PROVIDED THE COMPANY THE ABILITY TO MERGE THE DAIRY AND THE FARM, HISTORICALLY TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT BUSINESS OPERATIONS, INTO ONE INTEGRATED OPERATION.
[note: Threemile Canyon Farms began operations in 2000 and is located on 93,000 acres of Columbia River Basin land just west of Boardman, about 150 miles east of Portland.]