Chicago, IL
WHEREAS, in 1975 the passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA) certified that agricultural employees have the right to form and join labor unions and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing; and
WHEREAS, in 1987, the legislature classified backstretch workers within the horse racing industry as "agricultural employees," and in 2001, Governor Gray Davis and the legislature enacted a law granting this group of agricultural workers binding arbitration during first contract negotiations; and
WHEREAS, the UFW has won 428 elections where workers have voted to unionize since 1975, and thus far only 185 have resulted in union contracts, and only the binding arbitration provisions in SB 1736, by State Senate Leader John Burton, will aid the thousands of farm workers who have waited for years while negotiations drag on without hope of progress; and
WHEREAS, SB 1736 would apply the existing arbitration procedures for agricultural employees at racetracks to farm workers in the fields; and
WHEREAS, this process results in a more professional agricultural workforce in California, to the betterment of employers, employees, and consumers.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the AFL-CIO Executive Council supports SB 1736 (Burton) an historic farm workers' rights bill that amends the ALRA.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge Governor Gray Davis to enact this legislation into statute and help make the life-improving benefits of union contracts for themselves and their families a reality.