[quote=CA renter]
It’s difficult to know what’s happened here because we don’t know how many of the employees were trying to organize. Not enough information in this article to determine what really happened. Can’t just assume that because employees were generally happy in the early 90s that they are feeling the same way today. From what it sounds like, a significant number of current employees seem interested in organizing; otherwise, the union would not be trying to force a contract.
[/quote]
Did you read the article. The union is attempting to force a contract so it can legally collect dues.
[quote]
Then, after nearly two decades without negotiations, UFW organizers turned up last October and demanded a contract that would require employees to pay 3% of their wages in dues (between $600 and $1,000 a year). Gerawan also says that the union wanted the company to fire workers who didn’t pay up.
[/quote]
It would appear the current workers are attempting to resist the union.
[quote]
The Gerawans and their workers have been resisting the union power grab. First, the Gerawans complained to the state’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board that the union had abandoned Gerawan workers two decades ago, and therefore mediation was inappropriate. The five-member board, dominated by left-leaning academics and labor attorneys, rejected the complaint because the union was never officially decertified. Most of the current workers were unaware that the union was ever certified, since 95% of them weren’t around in 1990 when the vote took place.
Lupe Garcia, who has worked on the farm since 1977, requested that he and 15 other workers be allowed to participate or at the very least observe the mediation, which under state law is “on the record” and should be open to the public. The state board denied the request, ruling that the workers were represented by a committee of employees handpicked by the union.
Mr. Garcia then sued the state for violating his and fellow workers’ due process. A Fresno Superior Court judge has yet to rule on the case. Meanwhile, Gerawan workers are circulating a petition to hold an election to decertify the union. They already have more than 1,250 signatures. To be valid, a majority of workers must vote to decertify. The clincher: The election must occur before the mediator imposes a contract, which could happen anytime in the next three weeks.
[/quote]
The union isn’t trying to help these workers. The union organizers and leadership is desperately looking for revenues to pay their salaries. Union employees are their customer base.
