The march, which received the endorsement of several unions, including the Central Labor Councils of Whatcom and Skagit Counties, culminated in a rally and fiesta at Skagit Valley Community College.

At the rally, Guadalupe Gamboa, executive director of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) in Washington State, announced a June 4 march in Pasco, Washington, to demand higher wages for cherry harvest workers as well as a new amnesty law for undocumented workers. He denounced the current "amnesty" bills being discussed in Congress as a "cruel hoax--workers will never get amnesty under these bills."

According to Gamboa, there are nearly 40,000 farm workers and 15,000 fruit packers at work during the harvest season in eastern Washington.

Arnulfo Rodríguez, a farm worker from Mattawa in central Washington, explained, "Our goal is to have the union--which is the workers--respected" by the bosses.

The UFW presently has only one contract, with Chateau Ste. Michelle vineyards in Sunnyside. "The employers consider us the burros of the workplace," Rodríguez said. He declared that for many farm workers like himself "our hearts are back in Mexico, but our stomachs and minds are here--let's get organized here."

He urged support for the June 4 march, stating, "Together we can all advance." According to the bilingual leaflet advertising the action, "Growers have paid the same piece-rate wages for the last 20 years, while their earnings have increased 2 or 3 times."

Rodríguez reported that farm workers have established organizing committees in seven cities in eastern Washington and have voted to organize another march in support of farm workers on August 8 in Mattawa, a center of the apple industry in the state.

Organizing efforts in the eastern region got an important boost when packing workers at Yakima Fruit and Cold Storage in Wapato voted for a union on May 4. The Teamsters union won the election, overseen by the NLRB, by a 101-75 vote.

Most of the workers in this Yakima Valley packinghouse are immigrants from Mexico and have been farm workers or have friends and relatives who are farm workers.

This is the second fruit packing warehouse to be unionized, joining Stemilt Warehouse in Wenatchee. A third warehouse organizing drive at Washington Fruit, in Yakima, was narrowly defeated one and a half years ago. The Teamsters union contested the election, and workers are awaiting a decision by the NLRB.

Scott Breen is a member of International Association of Machinists Local 751.  
 
 
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