July 2, 1998: 2 & 7:30 p.m. Thurs.
Coastal Berry workers stage vigils at cooler in Watsonville demanding peace in the fields
Coastal Berry Co. strawberry workers will join two vigils today at the company’s Watsonville cooling facility in response to violence Wednesday morning against pro-union strawberry workers in Santa Cruz County fields that was orchestrated by anti-union foremen.
Coastal Berry Co. strawberry workers will join two vigils today at the company’s Watsonville cooling facility in response to violence Wednesday morning against pro-union strawberry workers in Santa Cruz County fields that was orchestrated by anti-union foremen.
A 2 p.m. vigil will feature Coastal Berry workers whose injuries required hospital treatment–including Sandra Rocha, Ramon Gallegos and Efren Vargas–United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez plus community, religious and labor activists. Other Coastal Berry workers will join a 7:30 p.m. vigil, also at the cooler, when they get off work.
Wednesday morning, what Rodriguez described as "lawbreaking goons" physically attacked pro-UFW workers at the company’s Riverside Ranch in Santa Cruz County and tried shutting down the company’s cooling facility in Watsonville. "This calculated and continuing violence was spearheaded by anti-union foremen at Coastal Berry–including brothers Joel and Augustine Lobato, and Enrique Leal–and others supported by a strawberry industry that still sternly resists progress for berry workers," the UFW president says.
Several pro-UFW Coastal Berry workers were sent to the hospital. In response, Coastal Berry shut down its field operations for the day and ordered workers to go home. "It is clear the great majority of Coastal Berry workers wanted to stay on the job so they could keep supporting their families," Rodriguez points out.
He placed "the responsibility for ending the violence and regaining control of the company" on Coastal Berry Co. owner David Gladstone.
Who: Pro-union Coastal Berry Co. workers injured during Wednesday’s violence, other Coastal Berry workers, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, community, religious and labor activists.
What:Vigils demanding peace in the fields.
When:2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 2, 1998
Where:Coastal Berry Co. cooling facility, 350 West Beach Ave. (at Rodriguez St.) in Watsonville.
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