For Immediate release: July 31, 1998
Over 300 D’Arrigo vegetable workers walk off the job to protest Bad Faith Bargaining
Today, over 300 workers at one of the largest vegetable growers in the country went on an Unfair Labor Practice strike to protest changes instituted by the company without notifying workers. D’Arrigo workers, who have had the United Farm Workers as their bargaining representative since 1970, faced years of frustration in obtaining a contract with D’Arrigo.
However, the current dispute centers on a unilateral decisions made by D’Arrigo management in violation of ALRB law. The company recently began mechanizing part of the work without notifying workers and employing labor contractors. The company has bargained in bad faith in recent sessions with the United Farm Workers and D’Arrigo workers representatives.
D’Arrigo employs over 1,000 workers and is one of the largest producers of lettuce and vegetables in the country. The company has close ties with terminal markets in New York and Boston.