Beginning at 6 p.m. FridayJulu 22, in Arvin
UFW demands higher wages as hundreds of
low-paid table grape workers take to streets
A new United Farm Workers campaign to increase pay for table grape workers continues Friday evening as hundreds of Central Valley vineyard laborers march through the streets of Arvin. Most have not received a pay raise since 1992, except for increases in the state minimum wage.
Workers organized through the union drive already prompted about a dozen grape growers to boost hourly pay by 15¢ to 25¢, from the state minimum wage of $6.75 per hour. But those modest increases still leave workers struggling to keep up with inflation and the rising cost of living. Consider the following:
Product 1985 cost 2005 cost Increase in cost
Gasoline 89¢ per gallon $2.50-plus 320%
Milk 95¢ per gallon $3-plus 320%
Meat 80¢ per pound $3-plus 500%
Rental housing $200 per month $700 per month-plus 350%
Meantime, wages for table grape growers went from $3.35 an hour in 1985 to the $6.75 minimum wage most growers still provide in 2005, a 49% increase. Asked what workers think they should get paid during a UFW meeting Tuesday in Delano to plan the wage increase drive, table grape workers responded with $8 to $10 per hour. Even that would not provide adequately for their families, workers say.
Workers are beginning to organize around the pay raise effort at the companies where they labor. They will also engage in public demonstrations to rally support. Friday’s march in Arvin is the first such event.
Who: Hundreds of Central Valley table grape workers, UFW Secretary-Treasurer Tanis Ybarra, union Vice President and Organizing Director Lupe Martinez.
What: Demanding higher wages for low-paid table grape workers as part of a new union campaign.
When: Starts at 6 p.m., Friday, July 22, 2005.
Where: Begins at DiGiorgio Park, Meyer St. and Haven Dr. in Arvin; concludes at Arvin Veterans Hall, 414 – 4th Ave. in Arvin.
– end –