"The MST emerged in 1984, among those trying to defend their land," against landlords and big companies, mainly in the southeastern region of Brazil, Brito explained. "Our perspective is not to wait for the government to carry out agrarian reform as they promise, but to do whatever is necessary to get it."

With the deepening of the social and economic crisis of Brazil in the 1990s, Brito said, the MST grew into a nationwide movement that puts forward agrarian reform as a solution to the crisis working people face in both the city and rural areas. "We always direct our actions toward the cities," he said. "Our struggle begins in the rural areas but our victories happen in the cities."

Through land occupations the MST has organized 1,200 peasant settlements throughout Brazil. As a result, 140,000 families have won title to over 6 million acres of land, Brito said. He described the land occupations the MST has organized to achieve these gains, and brutal attacks carried out in response by the police and Brazilian military.

Brito appealed for support for José Rainha, Jr., an MST leader convicted on false murder charges in the deaths of a military policeman and a landowner during a confrontation in a 1989 land occupation. The MST is seeking letters of support for Rainha in preparation for a September 16 retrial.

From the floor of the Des Moines meeting, Hazel Zimmerman spoke to urge support for Rainha. She reminded the audience that MST activists had sent 5,000 letters to the Iowa Parole Board in 1995, demanding the release of Mark Curtis, a union packinghouse worker and political activist framed up by the Des Moines police in 1988. The letters made a big impact, Zimmerman said, noting that "the parole board just couldn't understand why these letters came all the way from Brazil." Curtis won release in 1996. Zimmerman was a central leader of the Mark Curtis Defense Committee in Des Moines.

At the Des Moines meeting, Brito was joined by Reverend Gil Dawes, the pastor of the Trinity United Methodist Church and a leader of Prairiefire Rural Action. Dawes explained that many in his congregation are immigrants from Latin America who have lost their farms. He and several other Des Moines area ministers have provided sanctuary in their churches to people who have been ordered to be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

The speaking engagement for Brito in Marshalltown was sponsored by the Hispanic Ministry of St. Mary's Church and its minister, Father Paul Ouderkirk; family farmers Larry Ginter and Gary Hoskey; and by Dan Schmitt, president of the American Agricultural Movement.

Speaking at the meeting, Schmitt explained the deteriorating conditions farmers in Iowa face. "Farming is a losing proposition today," he said. "The banking system that dictates economic policies dictates our problems."

Hoskey described struggles going on against the effects of the growing large-scale hog confinement business. Ginter, who has helped organize several protests this year defending small producers and the communities they live in against the pro-agribusiness policies of the government, added that the big pork producers are not interested in producing food, just profits and capturing the world market. "U.S. farmers are locked into competition with Brazilian farmers who are in debt slavery," he said. "We want to farm, we're not lusting after other farmers' land."

At the meeting a reporter for the Marshalltown Times- Republican asked Brito if the MST also fights for the preservation of Brazilian rain forests. Brito said that there are many organizations that defend the forests but do nothing for the people that are hungry. "We support the struggle for the environment, and we do it through the struggle for justice, for food for the people," he said. "We want to change ways the land is worked... to create new consciousness in those who win land to work. In fact, is it is the land owners and corporations who are destroying the forests, who bring the morals of the system you have here," Brito added.

Brito explained that the MST supports the struggle of the Brazilian indigenous peoples. "Through the slaughter of the colonizers, their numbers went from some 5 million to 200,000 today," he noted. "We work together with the indigenous organizations that fight for recognition of their lands."

Ouderkirk, who introduced the meeting, said that many of the Mexican- and Central American-born packinghouse workers at the Swift plant in Marshalltown are former farmers who have been forced off the land by the pro-big-business policies of the governments in their countries.

Prior to the Marshalltown meeting, Ginter and his mother Alice hosted a supper for Brito at his hog farm in nearby Rhodes. Hoskey, Schmitt, Earl Symes, and other rural activists attended, and exchanged experiences with Brito through a translator. Brito explained that small farmers in Brazil are told by representatives of the agribusiness giants who buy their products that low prices are the result of competition with U.S. farmers. The Iowa farmers all laughed, responding, "That's what they tell us here!"

When Schmitt explained how small producers in the Midwest are pushed into debt by banks, suppliers, and those who buy commodities like pork, corn, and beans, Brito responded that the same thing happens to farmers in Brazil.

An article in the June 17 Marshalltown Times-Republican announced Brito's talk in that city and quoted the MST leader extensively. Brito also was interviewed on three area radio stations. One community weekly in Des Moines and several radio stations ran announcements of the meeting.

After Iowa, Brito is visiting cities in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.

Maggie Trowe is a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1149 in Marshalltown, Iowa.

BY OMARI MUSA

WATSONVILLE, California - Discussions with strawberry workers and leaders of the United Farm Workers and Teamsters were the highlights of the tour of José Brito Ribeiro here June 18.

The UFW is on a drive to organize this state's strawberry workers. At the UFW offices, Brito was introduced to several farm workers who were not hired back this season in the strawberry fields because of their support to the union. Their experience as pickers ranged from six to 16 years.

"The companies have sought to intimidate us," one worker told Brito. "We go from one field to the next seeking work. They tell us there's no work here. But we see them hire workers who have less experience than we, but who are not identified with the union. The bosses' message is clear. If you're with the union, no jobs."

Brito asked about the general conditions that faced workers in the fields. "Most workers go six days a week and 10 hours a day," another worker told him. "If you complain about the hours, lack of water, inability to go to the toilet, the managers say if you don't like it here, go somewhere else to work. Women workers are expected to perform sexual favors for the bosses and family members who work at the farms," this worker added.

Brito explained the history and development of the Movement of Landless Rural Workers. The group was going all out to fight the frame-up of MST leader José Rainha, Jr. "He was convicted even though his defense showed video tapes taken of him in another state when the incident allegedly occurred. We are planning massive rallies at Rainha's retrial on September 16," Brito said. "You can help by sending messages of protest to the authorities in Brazil. As well, we welcome any of you to come to the rallies and bring your solidarity."

After this meeting Brito was welcomed to the union office complex by UFW president Arturo Rodriguez, who explained that the union had just scored a victory in its drive to organize the 20,000 strawberry workers in the Watsonville area. The new owners of Gargiulo, Inc., one of the largest strawberry companies, had decided not to oppose the UFW's organizing drive at its facilities. Brito congratulated the union, saying, "I will take news of this victory of agricultural workers back to Brazil and you can count on our solidarity in your battle." During his stay at the UFW offices, the Brazilian activist also met with Dolores Huerta, a UFW vice president and one of the founders of the union.

UFW volunteer Rachel Rosner and several of the workers not rehired by the bosses for union activity accompanied Brito on a visit one of the strawberry fields. One of the unionists explained the history of the industry in Watsonville. "Eighty percent of the strawberries are farmed here in California. And 50 percent of those are harvested right here in Watsonville," he said. "This is hard work. Our average pay after everything is said and done is less than $6 per hour."

Earlier in the day, Teamsters Local 912 in Watsonville hosted Brito. Union organizers Karen Osmundson and Santos Lerma welcomed him. After explaining that the Teamsters represent workers at the companies who receive the strawberries and either pack them for distribution at markets or process them, Osmundson took Brito to the New West Foods processing plant. About 250 workers, mostly women from Mexico, work there. One of the women on break described their conditions. "We work April through October and are then laid off. The rest of the year we get unemployment or find work somewhere else." Brito explained the fight of the MST for land and the frame-up of Rainha to 10 unionists who came out to speak with him. Two women asked if they should write letters of protest. "We workers have to stick together and help each other," one said.

After leaving New Foods the group went to Dean Foods Vegetable Company. About 1,000 people work there. It is one of the few vegetable processing plants still open in Watsonville. Outside the plant, Brito struck up a conversation with Pablo, who ran the lunch truck concession. Pablo is from Mexico and immediately engaged Brito in tactical discussions on winning land rights in Mexico. Ten workers came out of the plant to speak briefly with Brito.

The next evening, Brito spoke to a group of 50 at a meeting in San Francisco sponsored by several Latino union officials. The meeting was chaired by Richard Trujillo, vice president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 256.

In the San Francisco Bay area, the MST leader was interviewed by the local Pacifica radio affiliate, two Spanish-language weeklies, and two Spanish-language radio stations. He also spoke with a local Brazilian newspaper.  
 
 
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