Photo by David Bacon
A diverse delegation of ILWU leaders joined hundreds of community supporters who marched to support workers at the Sakuma Brothers berry farm on July 11.
The effort was organized to help a two-year struggle by Sakuma farmworkers against one of Washington State’s largest berry growers who is refusing to recognize the workers’ independent union: Familias Unidas por la Justicia (Families United for Justice).
Walking for justice ILWU leaders from Locals 9 and 19 in Seattle, and Local 25 in Anacortes, joined forces with ILWU Pensioners, Puget Sound District Council members, and members of the Inlandboatmen’s Union (IBU). They met in the morning near Interstate 5 in the Skagit Valley then marched along a side road that passed through miles of lush berry fields, before arriving at Sakuma’s processing facility and labor camp.
Signs of struggle
As marchers arrived at the complex, they could see that Sakuma’s retail “farm stand” and “u-pick” operation were both closed because of growing community opposition to the company’s anti-worker stance. Sakuma even tried giving away their berries for free at one point, but local opposition has made the company’s PR gimmicks ineffective.
Skagit Valley is ground zero
Sakuma’s operation in the beautiful Skagit Valley is located just an hour north of Seattle. The valley’s mild temperatures are perfect for growing strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. An astonishing 3 million pounds of raspberries are grown there annually and each berry must be carefully harvested by skilled hands.
Berry farming is big business
During the past 85 years, Sakuma has grown from a small family farm to a large corporate enterprise that includes a processing plant, controlled storage, commercial nursery and retail operation. The corporation is no longer being managed by the family, confirmed by the hiring of a new CEO last March. Sakuma sells fresh berries to supermarkets and warehouse stores like Costco through the giant Driscoll brand. They also provide berries used in Häagen-Dazs ice cream and other high-profile products.
Strikes past and present
Sakuma workers are all immigrants from southern Mexico, most of whom speak indigenous languages like Mixteco and Triqui. Two years ago they organized a strike against Sakuma over poor pay and working conditions.
Another strike occurred this June when Sakuma berry pickers walked off the job during the first two days of the blueberry harvest. A factor in the recent strike was management’s scheme to isolate union supporters by dividing the workforce into small groups with different start times. Despite the company’s divide-and-conquer tactics, nearly 200 workers expressed support for last month’s work stoppage.
“This was a reprisal action against the union,” said Benito Lopez a member of the executive committee of Familias Unidas por la Justicia. “They wanted to separate us into groups of 10 people, and have each group begin at different times, 15 minutes apart, but we stuck together and walked out of the field in unity against another unjust labor practice. On top of the low wages, now we have to put up with these practices.”
Breaking laws, paying fines
Despite Sakuma’s insistence that they are an exceptional employer, the company has been caught red-handed cheating workers. In 2013, Sakuma agreed to pay an $850,000 settlement for cheating workers out of pay by denying breaks and refusing to pay for hours worked. The cheated an estimated 1,200 farmworkers who will benefit from a lawsuit that the company agreed to settle instead of facing a judge or jury.
Using visas to bust unions
One tactic used by Sakuma and other growers to keep labor costs low and unions out of the fields is the recruitment of guest workers from Mexico. In 2013, Sakuma hired 70 temporary workers from Mexico using the Federal H2A guest worker visa program –claiming that they faced a “labor shortage.”
“Free market” farce
Employers who claim they’re suffering from labor shortages can use the H2-A visa program to avoid raising wages to attract local workers – a flagrant violation of “free market” principles that politicians often adore and companies frequently employ to argue against unions.
Immigrant workers with H2-A visas are easily exploited because employers can quickly return a complaining worker back to Mexico. Even workers who don’t complain can only stay in the U.S. for less than a year, must remain at the same employer, and must immediately return home after their work is finished.
Ski resorts & call centers
Employer abuse of the guest worker visa system is widespread in the agriculture industry but not limited to field work. The hospitality industry is increasing using a similar visa program to hire poor eastern Europeans for “temporary” work in ski resorts and summer lodges. Abuse of guest worker visas has been sanctioned by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House, and a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center called it “Close to Slavery.”
High-tech hijinks
The hi-tech industry has successfully used a similar visa scam, known as the H1-B program, to secure scientists, engineers and programmers at low-wages ,= displacing domestic workers. Employers justify their use of the program by making false claims of an alleged “shortage” of high-tech workers. Employers have even used temporary immigrants to replace domestic workers at call centers and customer service operations – all to avoid raising wages or improving conditions.
Public pressure helps
In 2014, Sakuma Farms requested 438 new visas for the year, alleging that it faced a labor shortage. At the same time, it sent strikers letters saying they’d been fired. After workers signed letters saying they were available to work, exposing Sakuma’s lies, the company withdrew its application as pressure mounted on the U.S. Department of Labor to turn down Sakuma’s request.
Trending in wrong direction Photojournalist David Bacon has spent time meeting and interviewing workers, and notes that a decade ago, there were few H-2A workers in Washington State. But by 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor had certified 6,251 applications – a number he says doubled since 2011.
“The irony is that one group of immigrant workers, recruited by growers using the H2-A visa program, are being pitted against another group of recent immigrants from Mexico who have been hired by Sakuma for years,” said Bacon.
Community support
Rosalinda Guillén, who directs a local group called “Community2Community” in Bellingham, agrees. “The H-2A program limits what’s possible for all workers,” she says. The community- based group is advocating for farm worker rights as part of a just, sustainable food system.
Boycott Driscoll & Häagen-Dazs
Supporters are now calling for a boycott of all berries marketed under the Driscoll’s label. Driscoll’s is the largest berry marketing operation in the world, that sells to thousands of supermarkets and warehouse stores, including Costco.
Driscoll’s markets Sakuma’s blueberries, and Familias Unidas por la Justicia charges that it is equally responsible with Sakuma for denying workers fair wages and the right to negotiate a union contract. Sakuma also sells strawberries used in Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
ILWU support
The struggle by Sukuma farm workers was discussed at the ILWU’s 36th International Convention in June. The issue was explained by Rich Austin, President of the Pacific Coast Pensioners Association. Delegates learned of Sakuma’s many abuses, and they took action by unanimously adopting a resolution to support workers and a boycott:
“RESOLVED: that the ILWU calls upon other labor organizations and legislators and congressional delegations to support a boycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms, Haagen-Dazs, and Driscoll’s Berries until the demands of Familias Unidas Por La Justicia are met.”
Next steps
The day before the march, ILWU leaders joined other supporters for strategy discussions with union leaders from Familias Unidas por la Justicia.
Other union leaders from Washington State, California and Mexico also attended the meeting. Washington State Labor Council President Jeff Johnson marched with workers and supporters the following day.
“This is an important campaign that crosses borders to unite the common concerns of workers,” said Austin, noting that berry workers in Mexico’s Baja California have also been striking– and that those berries are also sold by Driscoll. “It’s not an easy fight, but the important fights are never easy,” he said. “Solidarity and unity are the best weapons we have to fight injustice and capitalist greed.”