July 11,2018-
Lettuce king D’Arrigo Bros & UFW Sign Contract
Facing labor shortages and inaction on immigration in D.C., UFW & D’Arrigo took a novel local approach with breakthrough union contract in the past few days. Bitter rivals for decades, Salinas-based D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of California President John D’Arrigo and United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez signed a breakthrough union contract June 28. The pact ushers in a new collaborative approach with the parties working together locally to provide substantial benefits for both workers and employer said a company news release.
”It comes at a time when the industry is confronting labor shortages and both sides are frustrated by bickering and inaction over immigration reform by policymakers in the nation’s capital.”says the produce company news release.
More than 1,500 UFW members at D’Arrigo (1,200 in the Salinas Valley) will receive significant hourly and productivity pay hikes making them among the highest paid vegetable workers in California, the best family medical, dental and vision benefits for farm workers in the state 100 percent covered by the company, six paid holidays a year and other contract improvements. (D’Arrigo also employs about 350 vegetable workers in the Imperial Valley who are also included in the contract.)
D’Arrigo says they will “achieve a competitive advantage by continuing to attract and maintain a better compensated, more experienced and professional work force with higher morale and productivity, as well as a higher quality product for consumers.”
Both parties are pledging to eliminate or minimize conflicts, grievances and strife, and open a new relationship where management and union work collaboratively to help each other more effectively compete.
Moving On
The LA Times reported it this way. “The deal came after the aging patriarchs on both sides — family scion and company President John D’Arrigo and longtime UFW President Arturo Rodriguez — engaged in months of personal diplomacy this year, each seeking to relieve the economic pressures that threaten their viability, including a shrinking farm labor force.
“Arturo and I, you know, we’re getting too old to fight,” said D’Arrigo, 60, whose grandfather co-founded the company in 1927. “There’s always been a lot of propaganda, and a lot of things said — some of them true and some of them not true. All of that is in the past. We shook hands and we’re moving on.”
D’Arrigo workers first unionized in 1975 and a contract ensued. Negotiations for a new contract in 2010 ended with a petition to decertify the union resulting in years of charges, lawsuits , hearings and counter charges. Now that is behind them.
UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said “Today marks a new day in the relationship between D’Arrigo Bros and the United Farm Workers. John D’Arrigo and I along with our respective teams are committed to creating a new partnership for progress.. We are proud to have worked closely with John D’Arrigo and his negotiations team to reach this historic partnership agreement.
The new collaborative agreement focuses on major issues facing farm workers and the industry today. Most importantly coverage under the Robert F. Kennedy Medical Plan which will include the entire family for medical, dental, and vision care. D’Arrigo Farming will pay for the entire cost for the workers to have this coverage. Wage rates well above the minimum wage. 6 Holidays paid for by the D’Arrigo Farming.”
“There are many challenges confronting the AG industry around labor, immigration, food safety, foreign competition, etc. For those reasons we want to create an environment where workers can make a good living and be treated in respectful way for their professional skills and talents.
If issues of concern rise then we want to resolve them in a fair and equitable way.”
The produce company is said to have more than $200 million in sales.