The Oregon public employe., April 01, 2002, Page 24, Image 24

PCUN SUSPENDS 10-YEAR BOYCOTT OF NORPAC FOODS
As a result o f a two-week mediation effort conducted a t the request
o f Governor John Kitzhaber, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del
Noroeste (PCUN), and N O R P A C Foods, Inc. jo in tly announced
February 15 an agreement that w ill result in labor relations guidelines
fo r farm workers and farmers.
The parties will define the specifics for
these guidelines in a process they have
committed to complete by early May.
Additionally, under the agreement,
PCUN suspended its boycott of
NORPAC products.
PCUN (Northwest Treeplanters and
Farmworkers United) is a union of
farmworkers, nursery and reforestation
workers based in Woodburn. NORPAC
is a cooperative of 240 Willamette Valley
growers of fruits and vegetables.
The innovative* agreement — still
su b je c t to ra tific a tio n b y N O R P A C 's
b o a rd o f d ire c to rs -— is a d ire c t r e s u lt o f
the Governor's concern about the future
well-being of Oregon agriculture,
including farm workers and growers.
Ramon Ramirez, president of PCUN,
and Rick Jacobson, president and CEO of
NORPAC Foods both said the joint
agreement holds the promise of a new
era in farm labor relations between
NORPAC and PCUN in Oregon.
"This is a historic accomplishment for
farm workers, who will now have clear
and enforceable guidelines that provide
them with an opportunity to elect PCUN
to represent them," said Ramirez. "If
they do elect to join PCUN, it also
establishes a framework for contract
negotiations with the participating
NORPAC member-growers." j
"We are extremely pleased with what
we've worked out so far because it
provides a regulated, fair process that the
growers and farm workers are involved
in," said Jacobson. "I appreciate that
PCUN has cooperated with us in
developing a framework that will bring
benefits to farm workers and NORPAC's
PAGE 2 4 THE OREGON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
participating family farmers."
Governor Kitzhaber's mediation
process was in part encouraged by the
involvement of one of NORPAC's major
customers. Sodexho, the leading
provider of food and facilities
management in the U.S. and Canada,
became involved when PCUN asked
them to support its boycott. Sodexho
sent a senior
executive to
Oregon to
investigate the
collective bargaining laws. Because of
this exemption, and in an effort to
provide collective bargaining for some of
Oregon's farm labor force, PCUN called
for a boycott of NORPAC products in
1992. NORPAC has maintained that in
order for a representation and collective
bargaining process to be fair to workers
and farmers, there had to be a framework
of protective rules for all parties. Both
NORPAC and PCUN said today that the
current agreement is an important step in
the right direction toward providing
those guidelines. •
situation and then
issued a letter
urging P C U N and
N ORPAC to
resolve their
dispute.
The mediation
has been taking
place under the
direction of the
National
Consensus Center
(NCC) at Portland
State University
with the
involvement of
NCC Director Greg
Wolf and Mediator
PaulF.
Stuckenschneider
of the Federal
Mediation and
Conciliation
Service.
The agriculture
industry in Oregon
is exempt from
state and federal
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