For more than 70 years, families have journeyed 1,350 miles from the Texas-Mexico border to work in canning operations in Owatonna, Minn. The temporary workers have lived from season to season, working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for about $7 an hour.
Soon, the approximately 100 temporary employees of Lakeside Foods may form their own, independent union ? the United Workers of the North. The National Labor Relations Board will conduct a combined in-person and mail ballot election, Regional Director Ron Sharp said. Seasonal employees will vote in person on Sept. 24 at the plant. Seasonal relief workers who are not currently in the state may mail in ballots by Oct. 8. The NRLB will count all the votes Oct. 12, Sharp said.
The workers are seeking better pay, benefits and working conditions, said Pedro-Jesus Romero, a community organizer with Centro Campesino, a worker rights organization based in Owatonna that is assisting in the organizing drive.
?They are tired of hearing the same promises (from the company),? Romero said. ?People realize they have been there for several years and they never get a raise.?
About half of the workers live in company-owned housing and one of their demands is better housing conditions, he said. Other issues in the organizing drive include fair salaries and adequate health care.
The workers, who often sign employment contracts before coming to Owatonna, also want fair contracts that guarantee they will be able to work enough hours to make the journey worthwhile, Romero said. Often, workers have had to find other part-time jobs to supplement their income.
The temporary employees decided to form their own union after investigating the possibility of joining existing unions and farm worker groups, Romero said. A local of the United Food & Commercial Workers, which represents year-round employees at Lakeside, declined when approached to attempt an organizing campaign, he said.
The workers then contacted other unions, including other locals of the UFCW. Bernie Hesse, organizing director for South St. Paul-based Local 789, said, ?We can?t raid another local?s jurisdiction.? But the local is doing whatever it can to support the independent union?s organizing effort, he said.
Union drives among seasonal workers often are unsuccessful because of the transitory nature of the workforce and the ability of employers to intimidate workers. In the case of the United Workers of the North, Lakeside is telling employees they will have to pay high union dues, Romero said. The company requires workers to attend captive-audience meetings where they hear anti-union messages and recently held a special lunch for the workers ? all attempts to influence the union vote, Romero said.
A number of community events have been planned to show support for the workers. On Sept. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m., supporters will stand in a protest line outside the Lakeside plant, located at 900 N. Cedar Ave.
Workers also plan to be part of the Minnesota Freedom Ride from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. One leg of the ride includes a Migrant Workers March from Owatonna, through Faribault and Northfield, eventually ending in a rally in downtown Minneapolis.
The Minnesota ride is an outgrowth of last year?s Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a national event that increased awareness of immigrant workers and their issues. Romero, himself one of the riders, said he believes these public events played a critical role in inspiring the union drive at Lakeside.
?From the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, we learned we need to be united in order to make changes,? he said.
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For more than 70 years, families have journeyed 1,350 miles from the Texas-Mexico border to work in canning operations in Owatonna, Minn. The temporary workers have lived from season to season, working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for about $7 an hour.
Soon, the approximately 100 temporary employees of Lakeside Foods may form their own, independent union ? the United Workers of the North. The National Labor Relations Board will conduct a combined in-person and mail ballot election, Regional Director Ron Sharp said. Seasonal employees will vote in person on Sept. 24 at the plant. Seasonal relief workers who are not currently in the state may mail in ballots by Oct. 8. The NRLB will count all the votes Oct. 12, Sharp said.
The workers are seeking better pay, benefits and working conditions, said Pedro-Jesus Romero, a community organizer with Centro Campesino, a worker rights organization based in Owatonna that is assisting in the organizing drive.
?They are tired of hearing the same promises (from the company),? Romero said. ?People realize they have been there for several years and they never get a raise.?
About half of the workers live in company-owned housing and one of their demands is better housing conditions, he said. Other issues in the organizing drive include fair salaries and adequate health care.
The workers, who often sign employment contracts before coming to Owatonna, also want fair contracts that guarantee they will be able to work enough hours to make the journey worthwhile, Romero said. Often, workers have had to find other part-time jobs to supplement their income.
The temporary employees decided to form their own union after investigating the possibility of joining existing unions and farm worker groups, Romero said. A local of the United Food & Commercial Workers, which represents year-round employees at Lakeside, declined when approached to attempt an organizing campaign, he said.
The workers then contacted other unions, including other locals of the UFCW. Bernie Hesse, organizing director for South St. Paul-based Local 789, said, ?We can?t raid another local?s jurisdiction.? But the local is doing whatever it can to support the independent union?s organizing effort, he said.
Union drives among seasonal workers often are unsuccessful because of the transitory nature of the workforce and the ability of employers to intimidate workers. In the case of the United Workers of the North, Lakeside is telling employees they will have to pay high union dues, Romero said. The company requires workers to attend captive-audience meetings where they hear anti-union messages and recently held a special lunch for the workers ? all attempts to influence the union vote, Romero said.
A number of community events have been planned to show support for the workers. On Sept. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m., supporters will stand in a protest line outside the Lakeside plant, located at 900 N. Cedar Ave.
Workers also plan to be part of the Minnesota Freedom Ride from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. One leg of the ride includes a Migrant Workers March from Owatonna, through Faribault and Northfield, eventually ending in a rally in downtown Minneapolis.
The Minnesota ride is an outgrowth of last year?s Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a national event that increased awareness of immigrant workers and their issues. Romero, himself one of the riders, said he believes these public events played a critical role in inspiring the union drive at Lakeside.
?From the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, we learned we need to be united in order to make changes,? he said.