Message from San Quintin farmworkers to the United States

 

 

Message from San Quintin farmworkers to the United States

San Quintin Baja California, February 4, 2016
To: Social organizations, sisters and brothers in USA who have supportedthe struggle of San Quintínfamworkers, independent unions, scholars, activists, media workers
 

Agricultural workers in the Valley of San Quintin, which rose in strike on March 17 2015 to demand better working conditions invite you to supportour struggle once more. We ask you to mobilize from different points of the State of California from March 17 to 20, 2016, to meet with thousands of workersconducting a MEGA-MARCH from San Quintin up to the border by Tijuana Beachesneighborhood on 20 March.
 

This MEGA-March is to commemorate the first year of the start of the strike in San Quintin. To publicize that after a year from the historic work stoppage where thousands of workers left the camps and took to the streets demanding better working conditions, employers have not listened in good will to our demands and have establish measures to ensure our labor and human rights are respected in accordance with the law. On the contrary, we have beenharshly repressed by the forces from the three levels of the Government in complicity with businessmen, we were imprisoned, injured, we have suffered reprisals, mass dismissals, constant threats in the fields, increased workload for the same salary, are obligated to joincorporate unions that we have never represented us in exchange for keeping our jobs, among other labor abuses.
 

We ask your support for this day, March 17, to join our voices together with farmworkers of San Quintin, Mexico, in every corner of USA to say: BOYCOTT DRISCOLL's; to hold in all Driscoll'sWarehouses and in supermarkets such as Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, Safeway, or any place where these products are sold.
 

BOYCOTT DRISCOLL's because it purchases most of the fruits which are harvested in this Valley (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries) and exploits just the same workers in United States such as our brothers of “FamiliasUnidas” in Washington who have called to BOYCOTT DRISCOLL's since more than two years ago.
 

Support from trade unionists and activists of USA was important in a first major victory that resulted in the legal registration of our National Democratic Independent Union of Agricultural Workers (SINDJA), therefore we ask once more your support to demand corporations such as Driscoll's, and the companies that make up the Agricultural Council of Baja California as well as from each agricultural sector to sign a collective agreement with this unique union which legally represents workers of San Quintin, Mexico.
 

United in the struggle we trust we can count on your support.
Alliance of National, State, and Municipal Organizations for Social Justice
National Democratic Independent Union of Fam Workers
For a better future and a new country!