79-04-A2
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Lettuce Strike[edit]
Transcript[edit]California's lettuce strike has become a celery strike and no matter how it ends up, you'll be paying higher prices for produce. At stake is a test of the federal government's wage-and-price guidelines, as well as a test of strength of the mystique of Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers union. When the union's contract expired in mid-January, growers in the Imperial Valley which provides the nation with nearly 100 percent of its winter lettuce -- offered a proposal in line with the maximum wage increase under the Carter guidelines -- seven percent. Chavez' union, on the other hand, demanded wage increases ranging from 25 to 85 percent. The growers asked that the Federal Mediation and Conciliation service step into the case, but the UFW refused and began striking on January 19. Violence flared. According to one San Diego newspaper report, 1500 UFW members "staged commando-like raids" on the lettuce fields on February 21. There was a rock-throwing melee, vandalism, injuries -- even one death. As a result of the violence, a superior court judge issued a temporary restraining order limiting the union to no more than 100 picketers per farm. Judge Don Work said at the time that the UFW had shown "an apparent lack of desire to control the violence." The judge's order came so late in the season that it may have been more symbolic than real, for the Chavez forces have now moved on to the celery fields along the coast north of Los Angeles, as that crop comes to harvest. Chavez' efforts to halt the winter lettuce harvest were only partly successful. Volunteers from throughout the Imperial valley pitched in to harvest the crop, though growers estimate they still lost more than two million dollars worth of produce. That explains some empty supermarket shelves. Chavez has charged that his workers get what he calls "just crumbs" from the growers, but the growers say that piecework employees can earn the equivalent of the U.S. annual average household income of $7,019 in a few weeks at current pay rates. This would improve, of course, under the proposal the growers have made. Though pay scales in the fields vary, the current range is the equivalent of just under four dollars an hour to 13 dollars an hour. If the union's demands were to be met, according to the growers, labor costs per-carton-of-lettuce would soar by 187 percent! Indications are that Chavez will keep moving north as more corps are harvested. Since California provides 40 percent of the nation's produce, overall, if Chavez' demands are met, be prepared for a shock at the supermarket. Oh, by the way, can you spare a bowl of potato salad? This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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