Strike
continued from page 6A
representatives say company of
ficials ignored their demands
and fired 200 striking workers,
some of whom were reinstated
shortly after the strike began.
Price said the demands are ille
gal and the workers were tempo
rary — the season dictates the end
of their jobs. Price also claims the
FAT has targeted his company be
cause it is U.S. owned and be
cause it is not the will of the work
ers to organize.
“We have a good work force
with good people,” Price said.
. Robin Alexander is director of
international labor affairs for
United Electric, which works in
close solidarity with the FAT for
worker’s rights. She went to Mex
ico in July, and workers told her
that when they were fired their
credentials were taken away.
Alexander said that if there is
already a union in place, workers
who want to elect another union
must propose an alternate con
tract and have an election. If the
new union wins they must fol
low the old contract, which usu
ally lasts for two years, and rene
gotiate when it expires.
If no union exists, workers
who wish to form one can file a
proposed contract and go straight
to negotiation, Alexander said.
But workers at the CRISA ap
proached the situation as though
there were no union, because in
their eyes there was not one. For
this reason their proposal was re
jected by the Mexican labor
board. “I hadn’t seen or signed
anything,” Lara said of the so
called preexisting union.
Price does not acknowledge the
strike and said disgruntled work
ers, controlled by the FAT, are un
fairly targeting his company. My
family “was there before the FAT
existed.”
But to Lara the strike is more
than real.
Price has filed a criminal in
dictment against the striking
workers alleging violence and
that workers obstructed non
striking workers from entering
the plant.
“They say we will have to go to
jail if we don’t take back the de
mands, but our demands are rea
sonable,” Lara said. “If I have to
die for it, I will die.”
Services
continued from page 1A
difficult, and we try to let victims
know that,” Fiskio said.
After a victim files a report
with police, officers typically in
terview the victim, recommend a
victims’ advocacy group and, in
cases where the assault occurred
in the past 72 hours, suggest the
victim take a sexual assault ex
amination.
The exams, administered only
with police permission, are con
ducted at a hospital typically by
one nurse. Exam results are then
handed over to the police.
“The exam isn’t fun,” Nancy
Falko, a registered nurse at Sa
cred Heart Medical Center, said.
“It feels to many women like an
other invasion.”
Nonetheless, Falko recom
mends all victims take the exams
to acquire the vital evidence
against their attackers.
“Everyone should have evi
dence collected because rape is
not a crime of sex. It’s a crime of
violence,” she said.
After interviewing a victim and
recommending sexual assault ex
aminations, police interview sus
pects and possible witnesses and
begin gathering evidence.
If police feel they have a strong
case against an alleged attacker,
all evidence and testimony is
turned over to the District Attor
ney’s office. The office then as
signs a seven-member grand jury
of citizens to review the case. If
the grand jury indicts an alleged
offender, a judge formally charges
the suspect of the crime.
At arraignment, the accused
person either pleads innocent or
guilty, and the case goes on to ei
ther trial or plea bargaining.
During the investigation and
trial, victims have to speak sever
al times with detectives, possibly
answer questions for the grand
jury or appear in court. At any
point in the investigation or dur
ing the grand jury review, the
case could be dropped for lack of
Supportive tips
• Believe what victims tei t you and
be supportive.
• Never ask questions that may
blame the survivor for the assault.
• Listen when they talk. Make
them feel comfortable when ex
pressing feelings.
•Validate their feelings and reas
sure them that what they did to
survive was right.
• They may experience self-blame.
Let them know they did not de
serve to be assaulted.
• Do not be judgmental. Counter
act blaming statements.
• Don't interrogate victims. They
may not feel comfortable talking
about the assault.
• Recognize their right to talk
about the assault whenever
needed.
• Support the decisions they make
about talking to police.
• Let them knowthe importance
of seeking med icaI attention.
• Build a strong support network.
Get support for yourself when you
need it.
SOURCE: Sexual Assault Support Services
evidence.
The whole process often takes
as long as a year, Gutierrez said.
“When the case is rejected, it
can be very invalidating,” Gutier
rez said. “Victims feel pretty
helpless, and they don’t always
feel good about the outcome.
“What impacts victims the most
isn’t the incident but that they
aren’t believed, they aren’t given a
chance to grieve or they can’t have
access to support. It impacts the
rest of your life,” she said.
EPD spokesman David Poppe,
however, said most victims feel
vindicated when their attackers
are brought to justice.
“There’s some closure for the
victim that they wouldn’t have if
they didn’t pursue the case,” he
said.
Calendar
Thursday, March 2
Discussion on charter schools and
school choice by Clint Bolick, Vice
, President and Director of Litigation
row
of the Institute of Justice in Washing
ton, D.C,and a leading advocate of
school choice. This program will be
held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in room
141 of the Knight Law School.
RENTALS!
Downhill (new shaped skis) ^141
& Cross Country. ■”
Snowboards
& Bools....
Back Country S I
& Teleigark Pkgs I
*9
Snow Shoes..
13th & Lawrence* 683-1300
w< w(
Bolt's Ski Bus lo
Willamollo Bass.
Ml. Baclioloi*
\ Hoodoo!
Sign up at Berg’s!
Call For Details, Reservations
& Information.
13tti&Lawrence • Eugene • 683-1300
0/e*/ P'&p'fe* fan* (frei-f zxf>es(p)ce.
Don’t miss out.
Work for your college paper.
For more information on how to freelance for the Oregon Daily Emerald call 346-5511.
6t>£8Gtl
Kaplan Classes
starting soon
March 27th
April 2nd
April 15th
April 9th
1 -800-KAP-TEST
www.kaplan.com
Naturally, the country’s premiere leadership school
offers only the latest in athletic equipment.
r<v*
V,
Gym (.lass
> ohvionm. this is not vdj)i/juwhc xvM- Sinv. n't strciitffrco your fax/] tint
Jfhv dlsn ditH^llk’)!, your. mind. Units bow ut yo <ib‘int hmiifuta U'CkWs
vf ^xijmifionii^ own and women min confident, ifi’/crm/iwd Jcanm umbers
| So. like to take u {auk <n fix ujti'j’/mj/f' (mil / »,s'oo»iv)arif-{tvs. Or fisit
'I Unit W-Ww.MARiNt:On ice k’.com ion II lore our newrojic climb.
Marines
The ftn. The Proud.
See the state’s Officer Selection Team today at the EMU
from 10:00-2:00 PM or call (541) 758-0835.