WENATCHEE (Washington) WORLD

May 13, 2008

Farmworkers union complains about Mathison orchard

By Dan Wheat
World staff writer

WENATCHEE — United Farm Workers of America is alleging poor treatment of some 100 cherry pickers it says were recruited from Washington and Oregon to a non-union Kyle Mathison cherry orchard near Bakersfield, Calif.

Mathison, of Wenatchee and a co-owner of Stemilt Growers Inc. of Wenatchee, said he didn't recruit the workers and denied poor treatment. "My reputation stands for itself on how I treat workers. You talk to any worker down here and he will tell you the truth," he said by phone from California this morning.

Armando Elenes, a United Farm Workers organizer in Bakersfield, said Monday that Kyle Mathison Orchards Inc. recruited the workers, providing them cards with directions to the orchard near Shafter, a town about 25 miles northwest of Bakersfield. Some workers said they were promised housing, Elenes said.

The workers found no housing when they arrived and ended up sleeping in vehicles and under almond trees and bathing in an irrigation reservoir, Elenes said. Some got jobs picking and others were told to wait to see if jobs became available, he said.

According to Elenes, the United Farm Workers learned of the situation Thursday, called the media and asked Kyle Mathison to provide housing.

Roger Pepperl, Stemilt Growers marketing director, told The Associated Press Monday the workers had access to bathrooms and fresh well water and there was "no agreement or suggestion" that the workers would be given housing.

Elenes said he spoke Monday with Mathison, who refused to give housing and had the workers evicted from sleeping on his property.

Mathison said he asked workers who were sleeping under his neighbor's almond trees to find other places. Mathison said there were seven union organizers at the orchard Monday.

Elenes said Mathison was not providing proper breaks and was charging pickers for use of picking buckets. Elenes said he had contacted the U.S. Department of Labor, which told him it will investigate.

Erik Nicholson, Pacific Northwest regional director of United Farm Workers of America in Tacoma, said he is alerting the U.S. Department of Labor's foreign certification program and the Washington State Department of Employment Security because he wonders why Mathison is recruiting workers from Washington for California while Stemilt is applying for H-2A guestworkers for Washington because of a labor shortage. Stemilt has to prove it cannot find U.S. workers to be able to bring in H-2A guestworkers from Mexico.

Mathison said neither he nor Stemilt moved any workers or asked workers to move from Washington to California. Mathison and Elenes both said there's no shortage of workers in California. Elenes said a lot of people are out of work and waiting for grape harvest to start.

In a newsletter and in e-mails, United Farm Workers is asking people to send e-mails to Stemilt asking the company to provide housing for the workers, pay travel expenses and hire the rest of the workers.