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Press Release from Senator Hilda L. Solis: Lawmakers investigating ALRB response to grower violence and control of election push at largest berry ranch

Press Release

Senator Hilda L. Solis: 24th Senate District: State Capitol Building, Room # 4039, Sacramento, CA, 95814

 No: 24co -7/22/98

Contact: Bill Wong

(916) 445-1418

Press Advisory

Lawmakers investigating ALRB response to grower violence and control of election push at largest berry ranch

Sacramento, CA – Senator Hilda L. Solis (D, El Monte) the Chair of the Senate Industrial Relations Committee will hold a press conference to call for an oversight hearing on the conduct of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board related to anti-union violence and grower "domination" of a union election at California’s largest strawberry ranch.

Strawberry workers who were injured in July 1 violence at Coastal Berry Company fields near Watsonville will join Senator Soils for the announcement at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 1998 in state Capitol Room 1190.

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Senator Solis scheduled the news conference after hearing allegations that Coastal Berry Co. Prevented workers from responding to questions by ALRB investigators related to the UFW’s attempt to halt the tainted election. The ALRB contacted Coastal Berry after deterrnining the union has established a "prima facie" case that company foremen and supervisors were behind July l violence that injured pro-UFW berry pickers and law officers, and that they broke the law by pressuring workers to sign election petitions on behalf a "company union.@

A video of the July 1 violence will be played at the news conference in addition to other evidence of linking Coastal Berry Co. to the election bid. The UFW contends that the signatures calling for the election were collected after the supervisors and formen who allegedly organized the violence went field to field forcing pickers to sign or face job termination.

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