The United Farm Workers was advised Monday night by the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board that Stellar Distributing Inc. has offered to return to work the crew of fig workers fired by the company Monday morning. The ALRB asked the UFW to call the terminated workers to alert them to show up for work early Wednesday morning. The workers had demonstrated their support for the union by waving black-eagle UFW flags on Saturday when organizers met with them during non-working hours in their fig orchard near Madera, Calif. California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Act was enacted in 1975 to “encourage and protect” the right of farm workers to peaceably assemble and organize into a union.
Immediately after hearing from the fired fig workers Monday morning, the UFW contacted state officials over the illegal terminations and filed charges against the company. ALRB agents came out and interviewed the fired workers at the union’s Madera office. Throughout the day thousands of farm worker supporters signed on-line petitions demanding that at the company rehire the workers. An attorney for Stellar communicated the offer to send the workers back to their jobs to state officials Monday night.
The grower decision to reinstate the crew of fig workers is a victory for the workers who were determined to assert their rights and for UFW supporters who rallied to their cause during the day.