Wednesday Feb. 2 at 1 p.m.
Ruby Ridge Dairy workers and Supporters protest at Northwest Farm Credit Services Annual Stockholder Meeting
Spokane, Wash. – Fired workers from Pasco, WA dairy Ruby Ridge and local Spokane supporter are protesting outside the Davenport Hotel where Northwest Farm Credit Services will hold their annual stockholder meeting and voting. The financial institution is a major lender for Pasco-area dairy.
Ruby Ridge workers last month turned in more than 32,000 signatures of supporters from across the United States to North West Farm Credit Services urging it to encourage the dairy to settle the workers’ grievances.
North West Farm Credit Services has refused to intervene. A Northwest Credit Services loan document issued to Ruby Ridge on Jan. 28, 2008 clearly states: “Mortgagors agree to comply with all laws, ordinances, regulations, covenants, conditions and restriction affecting the Property use including without limitation all environmental laws. Also not to use or permit the use of the Property for any unlawful or objectionable purpose or for any purpose that poses an unreasonable risk of harm, or that impairs or may impair the value of the Property."
RUBY RIDGE WORKERS CITE A LONG LIST OF INJUSTICES AND LEGAL VIOLATIONS OF THEIR RIGHTS, INCLUDING WAGE AND HOUR VIOLATIONS.
Ruby Ridge is also suing its workers who made public their grievances. Workers from Ruby Ridge approached the United Farm Worker for its assistance in summer 2009, to try to solve these issues. As a result, Ruby Ridge dairy fired 12 workers, all of whom filed suit against the dairy over wage and hour and other state law violations.
Dairy workers will be joined at the demonstration in Spokane by farm workers from other Washington companies, students from Eastern Washington University plus members of the Peace and Action League and other local Spokane organizations.
Who: A delegation of Ruby Ridge dairy workers, students, other farm workers and community activists.
What: Protest to ask Northwest Farm Credit Services to intervene over Ruby Ridge workers’ grievances.
When: Wednesday Feb. 2, 2011 at 1 p.m.
Where: The Davenport Hotel, 10 south Post St., Spokane, WA 99201
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