In a recent vote, nearly 60% of approximately 330 fruit packers at Washington-based Mount Adams Fruit rejected joining the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. The vote, held over two days, saw 59% against unionizing and 41% in favor. Mount Adams Fruit operates in Odell and Dallesport, Washington, and Odell, Oregon.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000, a 50,000-member union, the region's largest private-sector labor group, represents workers across various industries in Washington, northeast Oregon, and northern Idaho.
Workers, many of whom are immigrants, who pack apples, pears and cherries at three facilities in Odell, Oregon; Bingen, Washington; and Dallesport, Washington raised concerns about poor treatment, discrimination, unaddressed complaints, unfulfilled promises of wage increases, and unmet time-off requests. Some also cited unsafe working conditions.
Mount Adams Fruit's CEO, Doug Gibson, dismissed complaints as unfounded, attributing the unionization effort to a small group that doesn't represent most workers. He acknowledged the need for improved communication and considered the vote an opportunity for better collaboration.
Union organizers expressed disappointment, feeling deceived by those who voted against unionizing despite initial support.
The National Labor Relations Board included 60 workers from Mount Adams Fruit's newly acquired Odell plant in the vote after a last-minute request from the company. Union organizers had a brief period to convince Odell employees to join.
Allegations of employee intimidation through security guards overseeing the voting process surfaced. The union plans to investigate and may file charges with the National Labor Relations Board if necessary.
Meanwhile in New York 60 farm workers at Cherry Lawn Farm, an apple producer in Wayne County, have filed to unionize with the United Farm Workers of America. A majority of Cherry Lawn’s workers have submitted authorization cards for union certification with the New York Public Employee Relations Board as of last week. The organizing unit at Cherry Lawn is made up almost entirely by H2A visa workers from Jamaica.
Sources: oregoncapitalchronicle.com
ufw.org