75-08-A6
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1975
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Farm Workers Union
TranscriptHave you quit eating grapes because you think you're helping persecuted migrant farm workers. I'll be right back. The United Farm Workers Union under the leadership of Cesar Chavez is urging Americans across the nation to boycott California grapes and particularly one California winery. This company, one of the first to sign up with the Union, found the relationship an unhappy one so didn't renew when the contract expired. Hence the boycott and the national propaganda assault. For 25 years, I was an officer and six times president of a union in the motion picture industry. In fact I led the first strike our union was ever forced to call. I figured I'd better give this biographical note so there'd be no question about my belief in the right of workers to organize and to strike if necessary. The entire history of the effort to organize farm workers has been so distorted in recent years and emotions have reached such a pitch it just seems like a good time to recite some facts. In the first place I've always believed that organized labor begins with the workers in an industry choosing to organize or to affiliate or not affiliate with a union and making that choice by secret ballot, thus eliminating any possibility of coercion or undue influence. During my time as governor I propose such a solution to the farm worker problem in California, offering full state aid and even suggesting the ministerial association to ensure honesty in the balloting. All parties to the dispute said yes except Mr Chavez's union. No reason was given for the refusal except that one of his staff did say something about farm workers not being informed enough to make such a decision for themselves. At the moment the attack centers on the Gallo Company. There's no point in reciting all the charges of slave labor conditions and worker exploitation, however one example is a widely heralded photostat of a paycheck to a Mr. Gonzalez for a dollar and 10 cents. Mr. Gonzalez did receive such a check... for three days work, but he and his family had been occupying a Gallo house prior to his starting work. His gross pay for the three days was seventy-five dollars and sixty two cents. The check was for a dollar and ten cents because of deductions for rent, utilities, social security, state disability, a returnable cleanup deposit and union dues. Mr. Gonzalez next two weekly checks were $159.80 and $125.79 plus a 13-cent refund he received because of an error in the utility bill deductions in that first check. The Gallo Company employs 199 year-round workers plus 300 extras hired for the harvest season. The full-time employees averaged eight thousand dollars a year in 1974 and they've had a raise for 1975. The part-time harvest workers earn as much as nine dollars an hour. The package of fringe benefits is unusual, in fact higher than for any other farm workers and it applies to both permanent and temporary employees. The package includes a paid pension plan, paid vacation, paid holidays, premium paid overtime, paid life insurance, paid unemployment insurance and health insurance including major medical insurance for the entire family with the doctor of their choice. Any worker qualifies for all of this after only eighty hours work in any one month. This entire package is more than the United Farm Workers Union negotiates for its members. So enjoy, have a grape. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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