Apple Campaign
WHEREAS, 24,000 acres of apple orchards have been pulled up over the past year; and
WHEREAS, this crisis in the apple industry has been brought about by years of over planting and intense foreign competition, made worse this year by drought, bad weather and a shortage of production loans; and
WHEREAS, this has led to the loss of many family farms and has reduced both employment and income for farm workers making worse the staggering poverty our brothers and sisters in the fields face every day; and
WHEREAS, the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) recognizes that many growers are in the same fix as farm workers and that what is needed is for greater income from apple sales to return to the farm gate for both grower and farm worker to share; and
WHEREAS, the lion’s share of apple income goes to the shipper, packers and, in particular, the retailers, who take 68 cents out of every apple dollar; and
WHEREAS, the UFW has kicked off the Fair Trade Apple Campaign which will ally the UFW and willing growers to sell apples under a fair trade union label that stands for sustaining agricultural land, fair prices for growers, and fair wages and a contract for farm workers; and
WHEREAS, there are over 60,000 farm workers in the apple industry to be organized; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED that the Washington State Labor Council and its affiliated Central Labor Councils and local unions will work with the UFW to educate our members, the general public and retailers about the value of purchasing and selling Fair Trade Apples; and, be it finally
RESOLVED that the Washington State Labor Council shall forward this resolution to the national AFL-CIO and urge its adoption by the national AFL-CIO Executive Council.