Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

by Madeleine Baran (bio)
In a race against time, migrant factory workers at a Midwest canning
facility struggle against management scare tactics to organize a union,
fight exploitative work conditions and change horrific housing
circumstances.


Owatonna, Minnesota , Sep 6 - Eight years ago, Sanjuanita Ochoa traveled
over 1,000 miles from southern Texas to the small town of Owatonna in
rural Minnesota to work in a vegetable canning and processing plant. She
had heard the job paid decent wages; but when she arrived, she was
shocked to learn that she would have to work twelve hours a day, seven
days a week, for $6 an hour with no sick pay or benefits.

Ochoa said the Owatonna Canning Company, which then owned the plant,
housed her, along with five friends who also worked at the plant and her
infant son in a one-room house several miles away. The house was part of
a workers’ camp, run by the company. Ochoa said none of the homes in the
camp had running water or phones. A central building housed communal
toilets and showers. "I thought I couldn’t live there," she said in a
recent interview. "But there’s nothing else. I had to stay."

Union organizers say many are fearful of losing their jobs if they
complain or express support for the union.

Thousands of foreign-born workers like Ochoa, mostly from Mexico and
Central America, travel long distances to work in America’s factories
only to find themselves in dire circumstances. Although reliable
estimates are not available, and less is known about the plight of
factory laborers than that of farm workers, the migration of industrial
workers occurs throughout the US, as employers try to reduce their
full-time work forces.

Ochoa now works part-time organizing a new, independent union to
represent migrant workers who travel each May to work in the plant, now
owned by Lakeside Foods, Inc., a vegetable canning and processing
company with fifteen factories and eight distribution centers in
Minnesota and Wisconsin.

While unions like the United Farm Workers of America have had successes
organizing agricultural migrant workers, Spanish-speaking migrant
factory workers remain mostly without union representation. The
Trabajadores Unidos del Norte (UTN), or United Workers of the North,
hopes to change that reality, demanding health insurance, better pay,
and other improvements in working conditions. If they succeed,
organizers say they want to slowly build a mass movement to unionize
migrant factory workers across Minnesota and the entire nation.

Ochoa and other organizers say nothing has changed since Lakeside Foods
bought the plant in June 2003. About 100 to 150 Spanish-speaking people,
many originally from Mexico, come to work from May to October each year,
earning between $6 and $8, according to union organizers and former
employees. Workers’ shifts are twelve hours long and they work either
between 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Organizers also allege that, although the workers do earn overtime, they
must work up to seven days a week or be fired. The company does not give
time off for illness or to care for sick children. Ochoa told the story
of one woman who, fearful of losing her job, worked up until the last
day of her pregnancy, and then returned just a few days after giving birth.

The plant’s general manager, Rich Bartz, freely admits that the migrant
workers put in twelve-hour days, but claims they work six -- not seven
-- days a week because the company has a "day-off policy." He refused to
comment on how much workers earn, except to say that the lowest wage is
"slightly more than $6 an hour," and that he believes wages at the plant
to be "competitive."

The plant’s year-round workers earn significantly more than the migrant
workers, and have been unionized by the United Food and Commercial
Workers. Bartz would not comment on full-time workers’ wages, but UTN
organizers say full-timers earn at least $10 an hour. UTN organizer
Victor Contreras said the local UFCW union has not yet been involved in
supporting the migrant workers’ organizing effort, but adds that he has
a "good relationship" with the local union, and hopes they will support
the UTN’s unionization drive. The UFCW’s national headquarters did not
return calls seeking additional information. The president of the local
union could not be reached.

Bartz also confirmed that the workers receive no sick pay or health
insurance. "They have free benefits around here now," he said. When
asked to elaborate, Bartz reasoned that the workers "have a better deal"
than he does, because he has to pay health insurance, while the migrant
workers can take advantage of free medical clinics in the area.

On a recent afternoon, workers were busy transporting materials in and
out of the plant, which spans several blocks in this small town an hour
south of Minneapolis. Across the street, union organizers protested with
signs that said, "Honk for Union" and "United Workers of the North."
Several miles away, workers began to wake up to prepare for the night shift.

The workers’ lodging, referred to as "the camp" by management and
workers alike, consists of a dozen small, gray, concrete one-story
houses, enclosed by a fence surrounded by cornfields. A sign on the
fence states, "Permission to enter granted by crew leader." One outdoor
pay phone provides the only phone service.

Separate communal bathrooms for men and women and a laundry room take up
the middle of the camp. The women’s bathroom contains six toilets, two
private showers, and two communal showering areas, partitioned off by a
dirty plastic curtain. On a recent visit, brown water dripped from the
unpainted, concrete walls and covered the floors. The water in the
toilets and in the three sinks looked slightly yellow.

Continued
http://newstandardnews.net/content/...&itemid=951

It is hard to believe this is happening in the United States in the year
2004.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

Some people say unions are for the lazy. Would a lazy person travel
1000 miles for a crummy factory job? Would they live under those
conditions if they were afraid to work? Sooner or later people will
get fed up with the GREED and inhumanity the companies are responsible
for and when that happens they will blaim the workers for that too.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

Some people say unions are for the lazy. Would a lazy person travel
1000 miles for a crummy factory job? Would they live under those
conditions if they were afraid to work? Sooner or later people will
get fed up with the GREED and inhumanity the companies are responsible
for and when that happens they will blaim the workers for that too.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

I'm a union electrician and I have traveled all over the U S for work.
My home local is in the deep south but in 30 years I've been travelling
22 of those years. When we travel,wherever we end up we are called book
2 which means all of book 1 has to be at work first or asked about the
jobs at hand first. Then we get our chance according to the order in
which we signed the book.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

<johnny@.> wrote in message =
news:EJXwd.590$e33.460@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
| by Madeleine Baran (bio)
| In a race against time, migrant factory workers at a Midwest canning=20
| facility struggle against management scare tactics to organize a =
union,=20
| fight exploitative work conditions and change horrific housing=20
| circumstances.
|=20
|=20
| Owatonna, Minnesota , Sep 6 - Eight years ago, Sanjuanita Ochoa =
traveled=20
| over 1,000 miles from southern Texas to the small town of Owatonna in=20
| rural Minnesota to work in a vegetable canning and processing plant. =
She=20
| had heard the job paid decent wages; but when she arrived, she was=20
| shocked to learn that she would have to work twelve hours a day, seven =

| days a week, for $6 an hour with no sick pay or benefits.
|=20
| Ochoa said the Owatonna Canning Company, which then owned the plant,=20
| housed her, along with five friends who also worked at the plant and =
her=20
| infant son in a one-room house several miles away. The house was part =
of=20
| a workers=92 camp, run by the company. Ochoa said none of the homes in =
the=20
| camp had running water or phones. A central building housed communal=20
| toilets and showers. "I thought I couldn=92t live there," she said in =
a=20
| recent interview. "But there=92s nothing else. I had to stay."
|=20
| Union organizers say many are fearful of losing their jobs if they=20
| complain or express support for the union.
|=20
| Thousands of foreign-born workers like Ochoa, mostly from Mexico and=20
| Central America, travel long distances to work in America=92s =
factories=20
| only to find themselves in dire circumstances. Although reliable=20
| estimates are not available, and less is known about the plight of=20
| factory laborers than that of farm workers, the migration of =
industrial=20
| workers occurs throughout the US, as employers try to reduce their=20
| full-time work forces.
|=20
| Ochoa now works part-time organizing a new, independent union to=20
| represent migrant workers who travel each May to work in the plant, =
now=20
| owned by Lakeside Foods, Inc., a vegetable canning and processing=20
| company with fifteen factories and eight distribution centers in=20
| Minnesota and Wisconsin.
|=20
| While unions like the United Farm Workers of America have had =
successes=20
| organizing agricultural migrant workers, Spanish-speaking migrant=20
| factory workers remain mostly without union representation. The=20
| Trabajadores Unidos del Norte (UTN), or United Workers of the North,=20
| hopes to change that reality, demanding health insurance, better pay,=20
| and other improvements in working conditions. If they succeed,=20
| organizers say they want to slowly build a mass movement to unionize=20
| migrant factory workers across Minnesota and the entire nation.
|=20
| Ochoa and other organizers say nothing has changed since Lakeside =
Foods=20
| bought the plant in June 2003. About 100 to 150 Spanish-speaking =
people,=20
| many originally from Mexico, come to work from May to October each =
year,=20
| earning between $6 and $8, according to union organizers and former=20
| employees. Workers=92 shifts are twelve hours long and they work =
either=20
| between 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
|=20
| Organizers also allege that, although the workers do earn overtime, =
they=20
| must work up to seven days a week or be fired. The company does not =
give=20
| time off for illness or to care for sick children. Ochoa told the =
story=20
| of one woman who, fearful of losing her job, worked up until the last=20
| day of her pregnancy, and then returned just a few days after giving =
birth.
|=20
| The plant=92s general manager, Rich Bartz, freely admits that the =
migrant=20
| workers put in twelve-hour days, but claims they work six -- not seven =

| -- days a week because the company has a "day-off policy." He refused =
to=20
| comment on how much workers earn, except to say that the lowest wage =
is=20
| "slightly more than $6 an hour," and that he believes wages at the =
plant=20
| to be "competitive."
|=20
| The plant=92s year-round workers earn significantly more than the =
migrant=20
| workers, and have been unionized by the United Food and Commercial=20
| Workers. Bartz would not comment on full-time workers=92 wages, but =
UTN=20
| organizers say full-timers earn at least $10 an hour. UTN organizer=20
| Victor Contreras said the local UFCW union has not yet been involved =
in=20
| supporting the migrant workers=92 organizing effort, but adds that he =
has=20
| a "good relationship" with the local union, and hopes they will =
support=20
| the UTN=92s unionization drive. The UFCW=92s national headquarters did =
not=20
| return calls seeking additional information. The president of the =
local=20
| union could not be reached.
|=20
| Bartz also confirmed that the workers receive no sick pay or health=20
| insurance. "They have free benefits around here now," he said. When=20
| asked to elaborate, Bartz reasoned that the workers "have a better =
deal"=20
| than he does, because he has to pay health insurance, while the =
migrant=20
| workers can take advantage of free medical clinics in the area.
|=20
| On a recent afternoon, workers were busy transporting materials in and =

| out of the plant, which spans several blocks in this small town an =
hour=20
| south of Minneapolis. Across the street, union organizers protested =
with=20
| signs that said, "Honk for Union" and "United Workers of the North."=20
| Several miles away, workers began to wake up to prepare for the night =
shift.
|=20
| The workers=92 lodging, referred to as "the camp" by management and=20
| workers alike, consists of a dozen small, gray, concrete one-story=20
| houses, enclosed by a fence surrounded by cornfields. A sign on the=20
| fence states, "Permission to enter granted by crew leader." One =
outdoor=20
| pay phone provides the only phone service.
|=20
| Separate communal bathrooms for men and women and a laundry room take =
up=20
| the middle of the camp. The women=92s bathroom contains six toilets, =
two=20
| private showers, and two communal showering areas, partitioned off by =
a=20
| dirty plastic curtain. On a recent visit, brown water dripped from the =

| unpainted, concrete walls and covered the floors. The water in the=20
| toilets and in the three sinks looked slightly yellow.
|=20
| Continued
| http://newstandardnews.net/content/...mp;itemid=3D951
|=20
| It is hard to believe this is happening in the United States in the =
year=20
| 2004.

Migrant farm and service workers are more likely to join unions than US =
citizens are. Support Them

M

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged