Yakima Valley Farm Workers on Strike for their Lives
Hundreds of Apple Workers on Strike in Washington May 18, 2020 / David Bacon
Six worksites in Yakima County have now seen production shut down. The county has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases on the West Coast. The strikes are women-led, multigenerational, and multiracial.
At the center of the stoppages are two main demands for those who decide to continue working during the pandemic: safer working conditions and an extra $2 an hour in hazard pay.
URGENT ACTION NEEDED NOW
PRESSURE THE COMPANIES TAKE ACTION | Take five minutes to call each of these companies and urge them to negotiate with their workers and not retaliate against them for striking! 1) Allan Bros. Fruit in Naches, WA (509) 653-2625 2) Hansen Fruit in Yakima, WA (509) 457-4153 3) Jack Frost Fruit Co. in Yakima, WA (509) 248-5231 4) Matson Fruit Co. in Selah, WA (509) 697-7100 5) Monson Fruit Co. in Selah, WA (509) 697-9175 6) Columbia Reach in Yakima, WA (509) 457-8001
KEEP PRESSURE ON THE GOVERNOR
Call Governor Inslee and the Attorney General's office to demand that workers receive immediate hazard pay, including time lost during the strike. Register your dissatisfaction with the Emergency Rules for Housing in Agriculture, and ask them to assign additional state staff to ensure safety precautions are being followed! Demand a Legislative investigation into why farmworkers are being treated differently than other essential workers during this pandemic. Why is the agricultural industry continuously allowed to put profit over the lives of farmworkers? Governor Inslee's office: (360) 902-4111 (option 2 to skip the recording and leave a comment) Office of the Attorney General, Labor and Personnel contact form
DONATE TO HELP FARMWORKERS ON STRIKE
Please help - every day that a worker strikes is a day of lost pay. Thank you!
Goal: $60,000 Monson Fruit Trabajadores Unidos Goal: $80,000 Jack Frost Striking Workers Support Fund Frosty Packing Goal: $60,000
Organizers from Bellingham and Skagit Valley helping the striking workers