Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

4/27/00 News Report -- Los Angeles Times

UFW Wins Round in Representation Fight
Fred Alvarez

     State labor officials have ruled that pickers at the nation's
largest strawberry grower should be represented by separate bargaining
units in Oxnard and Watsonville, increasing the likelihood that the
United Farm Workers will once again represent pickers in Ventura County.

     The ruling, affirmed Tuesday by the Agricultural Labor Relations
Board, clears the way for a June election at the Coastal Berry Co.'s
Oxnard operation.

     The expected UFW victory among the 600 workers here would provide a
significant boost to the union's efforts to organize strawberry workers
statewide, a four-year campaign that thus far has had limited success.

     "We talked to the workers and they're just really excited," UFW
spokesman Marc Grossman said. "We still need to be certified . . . but
we are optimistic that will happen quickly."

     Last June, the UFW lost an election to represent all of Coastal
Berry's workers in Oxnard and Watsonville to a rival union, the Coastal
Berry of California Farm Workers Committee.

     The UFW filed a slew of objections to that election, including one
saying that Coastal Berry's pickers would be better served by separate
bargaining units. A state labor judge last month agreed and the state
labor board Tuesday upheld that ruling.

     Salinas attorney James Gumberg, who represents the Coastal Berry
committee, could not be reached Wednesday for comment. But he has said
that even if the labor board upheld the decision, he would fight any
effort by the UFW to be declared the winner in Oxnard. At the very
least, he said, another election should be held for the right to
represent the company's Ventura County workers.

Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times