Tuesday 10 a.m. farm workers rally, board meets at 1 p.m.
L.A. school board enters farm workers’ fight with huge Central Valley grower
Tuesday vote regarding Gerawan could involve 1,270 LAUSD schools, 907,000 students
Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Governors enters an epic battle by farm workers to implement their union contract with a giant Central Valley grower—reminiscent of 1960s farm labor battles—by voting on a resolution Tuesday, Feb. 10 asking LAUSD’s procurement office to let it know about Gerawan Farming’s compliance with fair labor practices before contracts with them are approved by the board. The L.A. school board resolution also calls on Gerawan Farming to honor a contract issued in 2013 by a neutral mediator and approved by the state. LAUSD through its suppliers has purchased Prima-label produce from Gerawan for its 1,270 schools and 907,000 students. Gerawan is avoiding millions of dollars in pay increases and other benefits by refusing to honor the union contract.
United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez will join Gerawan farm workers traveling by bus from Fresno County for a 10 a.m. march beginning at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, corner of 3rd & Bixel streets, L.A. 90017 and ending at LAUSD headquarters, 333 So. Beaudry Ave., L.A. 90017. The board meeting starts at 1 p.m. Rodriguez and the workers will present petitions signed by more than 10,000 people backing the LAUSD resolution.
The resolution proposed by board member Steve Zimmer would have the school board call upon Gerawan Farming to “comply with state and federal laws, including labor relations…and to immediately implement the agreement issued by the neutral mediator and the state of California.” Board members will vote to request having the district’s “Procurement Services Division report back to the board with an update regarding Gerawan Farming’s compliance with fair labor practices in the event any contracts with this vendor are brought to the board for approval.” (See Item 26 (Page 10), “Support of Compliance with Fair Labor Practices for Agricultural Vendors (Res-047-14-14) by board member Zimmer: https://boe.lausd.net/sites/default/files/01-13-15RegBdOBPost.pdf ) For more, see: http://laschoolreport.com/fruit-companys-battle-ufw-examined-lausd-board/
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a similar resolution on Oct. 22. See: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-union-fresno-farmworkers-20141022-story.html
An administrative judge with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board began presiding in September over five months of hearings in Fresno featuring sworn testimony on sweeping complaints or indictments from state prosecutors charging Gerawan with multiple, serious and repeated violations of the law aimed at “prevent[ing] the UFW from ever representing its employees under a [union contract]” and at decertifying, or getting rid, of the UFW, according to the ALRB general counsel, who issued the complaints. See: http://www.ufw.org/_board.php?mode=view&b_code=gerawan_legal&b_no=15722&page=1&field=&key=&n=11
The latest state-issued complaint says, “Gerawan and its supervisors” unlawfully supported workers who “stopped work and engaged in anti-UFW and anti-ALRB protests [to promote] decertification [and that] Gerawan…coerc[ed] workers into participating in protests,” and Gerawan closed its fields, directing workers to pro-company demonstrations. Gerawan also engaged in threats, interrogation and surveillance of workers, state prosecutors allege.
Meanwhile, Gerawan reacts to the indicting complaints by claiming, without evidence, that state investigators and prosecutors are biased. A slick PR campaign by radical right-wing groups based in Washington, D.C. and affiliated with Grover Norquist, who is backed by the Koch brothers, has been is being orchestrated on Gerawan’s behalf. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arturo-s-rodriguez/bigmoney-radical-right-gr_b_5786868.html
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