April 2008: Nearly two years after being fired from Napa Valley’s Charles Krug-Mondavi winery, 24 employees have been reinstated with back-pay. In addition, the UFW has signed a four year contract between the company and the workers. In addition to back-pay, under the new contract the workers will receive an 18 percent pay increase over the four-year contract and the workers will have the same seniority and classifications they did at the time they were discharged. The contract also covers sub-contracted employees who will be paid wage rates equal to those a UFW employee. Sub-contracted employees will also be entitled to the grievance and arbitration procedure for disputes which arise.

It took more than 30 years, but more than 1,400 workers at D’Arrigo Bros now have a contract and enjoy some basic employment privileges most workers take for granted. Under the UFW contract, workers get five paid holidays each year – including Christmas Day and Thanksgiving. Paid holidays for farm workers are, for the most part, unheard of. Under the contract signed with D’Arrigo, workers and their families are entitled to health insurance that includes vision and dental that is 100 percent paid by the employer. Looking toward the future, the contract includes negotiated healthcare increases for the next three years so workers don’t have to worry about unexpected increases in healthcare premiums. More

September 2007: RDO-BOS Farms, LLC started a composting operation in Boardman, OR to dispose of waste from crops and cows. 130 people worked overtime doing such jobs as bagging compost for sale. They didn’t get paid overtime wages - even if they worked over 100 hours a week. Workers filed Fair Labor Standards Act claims. UFW member Jose Marquez-Peña and others launched a successful class action lawsuit. The US District Court has now given preliminary approval to a settlement that will probably exceed $250,000.

July  16, 2007, Boardman, OR--Threemile Canyon Farms and the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) announced today that they have entered into a collective bargaining agreement covering dairy and farm workers.  The agreement, the first of its kind in Oregon, was ratified this week, bringing to an end all labor disputes between the UFW and Threemile Canyon Farms.
 
“This is an important milestone for Threemile Canyon Farms”, said Marty Myers, the General Manager at Threemile Canyon Farms.  “It allows us to continue putting our values into practice in the form of a formal agreement that respects and protects workers. It also brings an end to all disputes and provides a way for all future issues to be solved peacefully.  Lastly, it gives us the opportunity to focus on what we do best: producing healthy, high quality food products and bringing them to market in ways that earn the trust of our customers, neighbors and employees”, said Myers.
 
“Just as we remember our past,” said Arturo Rodriguez, UFW President, “we recognize that this agreement blazes a new agricultural path into the 21st century. The UFW is proud of our members and this new partnership, building respect for farmworkers. We look forward to working with Threemile Canyon Farms and joining in the promotion of their fine agricultural products.  This agreement lays the groundwork for a new period in Oregon’s agricultural heritage providing stability for growers and fairness for farm workers. We honor our entire membership, native-born and immigrant, men and women in this is a new era of cooperation and mutual benefit for both the farm and them”.   More

August 16, 2006: In a major victory for grape workers, an administrative judge for the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board threw out last September’s state-conducted election at Giumarra Vineyards Corp. because of the illegal actions by the company that influenced the balloting. United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez last year described these unlawful tactics "bullying and terrorism" by Giumarra.
 
The following are some of the facts upon which the judge based his decision:

• A Giumarra forperson told members of her crew, "You’ll be fired [if they vote for the UFW]. Go and find work from the union, to see if they give you work."

• Giumarra President Sal Giumarra threatened 30 to 38 members of a crew with the possibility, should the union win, that the following year the company would turn its table grapes into juice or wine, more mechanized operations requiring far fewer workers and thus costing many their jobs.

• Giumarra forepersons told vineyard workers if they voted for the UFW those who did not have legal immigration documents would be fired. (Federal studies show the large majority of California farm workers are undocumented.)

• A Giumarra forperson singled out one employee, in the presence of others, and in a threatening manner attempted to intimidate her by revealing that the foreperson was aware of her union sympathies, describing union members as "ignorant and willful," "welfareros", and accusing a worker loudly, angrily and repeatedly of being "with the union."

June 15, 2006: Due to a UFW campaign,  Gov. Arnold  Schwarzenegger issued the first permanent heat regulation in the nation, protecting farm workers and other outdoor laborers.
 
This regulation occurred after six Central Valley farm workers died due to extreme heat in the summer of ‘05.   Four of these needless deaths came during a three-week period this past  July. Some deaths occurred after growers or farm labor contractors ordered  work speed ups when temperatures soared above 100 degrees. The United Farm  Workers asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to issue an emergency regulation to  prevent future tragedies.
 
After the first death in July '04, the United Farm  Workers and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation turned to  Assemblymember Judy Chu and asked her to introduce AB 805, which passed the  Assembly and is in the state Senate, to prevent further deaths and illnesses.  Senator Dean Florez was the UFW's primary sponsor in the Senate. After the  additional farm worker deaths from the heat in July '05 the UFW called on  Governor Schwarzenegger for an emergency regulation so farm workers could be  protected during the summer harvest season this year.
 
The UFW will continue to fight until these temporary regulations are made permanent.

This contract is testimony to the commitment and determination of the workers. They united to achieve meaningful change for all workers at the company.

The three year contract guarantees workers significant wage increases plus othe benefits.

Congratulations to the Huntington Farm workers!