University of California

6/18/97 News Release -- Western Growers Association

IRVINE, CALIF. (June 18, 1997) -- Western Growers Association, a 3,100-member trade group representing the producers of more than half of the nation’s fresh produce, strongly condemns the recent action by the AFL-CIO, the United Farm Workers of America, and the Monsanto Company for their apparent violation of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA).

As a supporter of workers’ free choice, WGA is exploring the option of filing Unfair Labor Practice charges against both the UFW and Monsanto.

"This question of collusion between the UFW and Monsanto must be resolved by the Agricultural Labor Relations Board," said David Moore, president of WGA. "In our opinion, the agreement between these parties will restrain farm workers from choosing whether or not to join the UFW. Making that decision is a basic right of the ALRA."

TIMELINE:

• On May 6, reports indicated that the leaders of Monsanto (a St. Louis based chemical manufacturing company), the AFL-CIO and the UFW met in Washington, D.C., to discuss a "sweetheart deal" to decide what they think is best for their workers.
• On May 31, 1997, the Monsanto Company, the AFL-CIO, and the UFW announced that they had developed a framework for an agreement requiring farm workers to participate in an election for the UFW.
• On June 16, 1997, Monsanto Company announced that they had sold their California berry-growing operations to Washington, D.C. investors Landon Butler and David Gladstone.
• On June 17, 1997, Monsanto, the AFL-CIO, representing the UFW, issued a joint press release that announced an agreement "intended to result in the scheduling of a supervised election...as soon as practical...."

"In the process, Monsanto and the unions may have violated California’s ALRA," he explained. "The law is explicitly clear that the only individuals who can vote on whether to bring a union in are the farm workers themselves. The law forbids employers, unions or anyone else from making that decision."

The ALRA was designed to give farm workers the right to choose their collective bargaining representatives, if any, through certified, secret ballot elections. "The workers need to have input as to who will represent them, and not a sweetheart deal between the union and the employer," Moore emphasized.

The agreement between the AFL-CIO, the UFW, and Monsanto appears to include all of the specifics of how an election is to be run and conducted. In the June 17, 1997, press release, from Monsanto and the AFL-CIO it states that: "The agreement {between the unions and Monsanto} is intended to result in the scheduling of a supervised election consistent with the California Labor Relations Act as soon as practical, with the details and timing to be worked out by representatives of {the company} and union representatives."

"This is outrageous," claims Moore. "Under California law, the employer and the union are prohibited from working out the details of an election, absent a vote of the farm workers."

WGA and Moore have attempted to contact Robert Shapiro, chairman of the Monsanto Company, to discuss the impact of Monsanto’s actions on California agriculture, but have yet to receive a response from him.

"We cannot understand why Shapiro has failed to communicate with California agriculture, one of Monsanto’s biggest customers," Moore said. "I have to ask, is it because he knows the potential harm he has caused our industry and is too embarrassed to talk to us about it?"

WGA urges the UFW and Monsanto to cancel this improper action. Unless this choice is left to the workers, and the election is not canceled immediately, WGA will file Unfair Labor Practice charges against the UFW and Monsanto.

WGA is an agricultural trade association whose members grow, pack and ship 90 percent of the fresh vegetables and about 60 percent of the fresh fruit and nuts in Arizona and California.