Farm Workers Labor Relations

Strawberry pickers at Coastal Berry Co. voted in favor of union representation Thursday night in a victory for an upstart workers group, and a defeat for the rival United Farm Workers. The Coastal Berry Farmworkers Committee received 523, or nearly 54%, of the 972 ballots cast with the California Agriculture Labor Relations Board. The committee needed more than half the total votes cast to represent workers in negotiating with Coastal Berry, the nation's largest strawberry grower.

Strawberry pickers at Coastal Berry Co. voted in favor of union representation Thursday night in a victory for an upstart workers group, and a defeat for the rival United Farm Workers. The Coastal Berry Farmworkers Committee received 523, or nearly 54%, of the 972 ballots cast with the California Agriculture Labor Relations Board. The committee needed more than half the total votes cast to represent workers in negotiating with Coastal Berry, the nation's largest strawberry grower.

A big Watsonville strawberry grower and shipper has whipped up a ruckus among pickers by expressing his sentiments about unions. But it's not what you might think. David Gladstone, chairman and owner of Coastal Berry Co., sent letters to employees in April indicating his support for the United Farm Workers. "I believe that we can strengthen [our] special relationship if the workers are represented by a labor union," he wrote. "Of course, only you can make that decision."

A big Watsonville strawberry grower and shipper has whipped up a ruckus among pickers by expressing his sentiments about unions. But it's not what you might think. David Gladstone, chairman and owner of Coastal Berry Co., sent letters to employees in April indicating his support for the United Farm Workers. "I believe that we can strengthen [our] special relationship if the workers are represented by a labor union," he wrote. "Of course, only you can make that decision."