The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.28           July 28, 1998 
 
 
Watsonville: Hundreds Protest Antiunion Thug Assault On Farm Workers  

BY NORTON SANDLER
WATSONVILLE, California - A gang of antiunion thugs attacked supporters of the United Farm Workers as they were working at Coastal Berry's Silliman strawberry ranch here on July 1, injuring three workers.

At a UFW rally of 300 the next day protesting the attack, union supporter Noel Hernández told the Militant what happened.

"We gathered as we usually do in the morning but the foreman was not around. Then a main supervisor came over and told us to start working at 7:30. The time came to start working and the puncher gave us our cards [to record the quantity of berries picked]. We grabbed the boxes and started picking," Hernández explained. "We looked over and a group of 20 contras were coming." Contras is the term UFW backers use to describe antiunion thugs.

Some of the contras work in the fields, "but there were also truckers and stackers," Hernández continued. "They told us to get out of the fields, to stop working. The supervisor halted the group and took them to the side of the road. Then another group of contras, this time around 30 came and the supervisor couldn't hold them off. They grabbed picked boxes and threw them away.

"Workers tried to use some of the last boxes they had but the group aggressively came back, took the full boxes and threw them on the ground. They said, `We can pay you for the boxes.' But the union supporters told them only the boss can pay us. Then they went into the fields where we were picking," Hernández said. "They grabbed boxes from the workers. A couple of co-workers got close and they attacked them. The puncher was punching the last box and they threw it at his head. They got one union supporter and had him on the ground. The cops finally stopped it but they gave one supporter a real beating."

Union supporters Sandra Rocha, Efren Vargas, and Ramon Gallegos were hospitalized from the attack, Rosalinda Guillen, director of the UFW's strawberry organizing, told the press. The cops made one arrest.

Coastal Berry is California's largest strawberry grower, employing some 1,500 workers at peak season. The UFW is trying to organize California's 20,000 strawberry pickers, centering in the Watsonville and Salinas area.

UFW organizer Guillen said antiunion supervisors are trying to prevent a bargaining election where workers would decide if they want to be represented by the UFW. "We were very close to a vote until this happened. They are trying to intimidate new employees," Guillen said.

Union supporter Hernández told the Militant, "Last year when the union organizers would come into the fields they would yell and try not to let them in. The contras try to force the other workers to be with them. A lot support the union but they [the thugs] try to scare them."

UFW president Arturo Rodríguez issued a statement demanding that Coastal Berry owner David Gladstone act "quickly and decisively against those who planned and participated in today's attack and disruptions - plus anyone else who resorts to violence or violates state law by harassing or threatening workers who seek to organize."

The union has held three rallies in response to the attack. The July 2 rally was attended by some 300 union backers, the big majority farm workers or their families. The rally, held at the front gate of Coastal Berry's cooler facility where the picked fruit is stored for shipping, followed a march by 80 Coastal Berry workers from the UFW offices a half mile away.

The rally attracted a layer of trade unionists and activists from area campuses who had seen television footage of the attack the previous day. A larger rally was held on July 7 with several UFW backers explaining that they won't be intimidated by the thug attacks. Members of the Teamsters Union, Service Employees International Union, and other unions participated in the event.

As the Militant goes to press, Coast Berry has removed known UFW supporters from the Silliman Ranch and has them working by themselves in another field.

Norton Sandler is a member of the International Association of Machinists.  
 
 
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