WWU Students for Farmworker Justice

Media Backgrounder
Press contact: Rachel Loofburrow
loofbur@students.wwu.edu
Phone: 360.619.8850

Overview Section: The club is an Associated Students club that serves as a boycott
committee in support of farmworker rights. The club formed in response to a call for
support from the farmworkers of Sakuma Bros. through their union, Familias Unidas
por la Justicia (Families United for Justice) in fall of 2014. The Sakuma Bros. is one of
the largest berry growers in the Pacific Northwest region located in Burlington, WA.
The main goal of the farm workers is to secure a contract that guarantees fair wages
and better treatment. Students and workers join together in solidarity in order to
achieve this main goal and also to educate the community about farm labor issues.
Current Activities:
The club does consistent picketing at local grocers that have Sakuma berry
products sold at their businesses
The club participates in an on-going Driscolls boycott campaign because
Sakuma distributes berries to the company
The club has organized a farm worker panel event coming up on April 30 for
students to speak directly with farm workers
The club will be participating in the March for Dignity event taking place from
Lynden to Bellingham in Whatcom on May 3
Key Terms:
Farmworker- A person who works in agriculture or a related industry such as food
processing
Migrant farmworker- Someone who moves from community to community, usually
based on season and job availability
Seasonal farmworker- Someone who lives in one community year round
Guest worker- The national H-2A guest-workers program is used to bring legal
workers into the U.S.

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Facts:
LocalThe Sakuma Brothers Farms Background Sakuma Brothers Farms is an 85-year-old family business run by the fourth
generation of the Sakuma family. (Sakuma Berry Farm Facts, 2015)
The second generation in 1935 moved from Bainbridge Island to the Skagit
valley to begin farming strawberries. The family diversified their business to
include raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and apples. (Sakuma Berry Farm
Facts, 2015)
The company has grown to include a plant nursery, a processing facility, a
farmers market and a sales department. (Sakuma Berry Farm Facts, 2015)
The Sakuma Farmworkers Struggle The Sakuma workers had concerns over farm housing, sought overtime pay
which is not required by law, wanted adequate child care, had grievances over
cultural conflicts and wanted a change to the way their wages were calculated.
(Seattle Times, 2013)
A core issue for farmworkers at Sakuma has been the arrival of guest workers,
mostly from Mexico, which was used for the first time that Sakuma or any
Western Washington fruit grower will have used it. (Seattle Times, 2013)
In June, owner Steve Sakuma settled a suit (the largest farm worker settlement
in state history) agreeing to pay $500,000 to 1,2000 workers in a class-action
lawsuit over pounds of berries that workers claimed they were not paid for.
(Seattle Globalist, 2015)
Farmers must pick 320 pounds a day but many farmworkers arent able to pick
more than 150 pounds, at 30 cents a pound. (Seattle Globalist, 2015)
A boycott against Sakuma protest at the Bellingham Community Food Co-op
occurred Feb. 25, 2015. The farm workers of Sakuma Farms planned the
protest to encourage the Co-op to continue their boycott against Sakuma until
they have a contract. (Western Front, 2015)

Regional The Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC)is increasingly

concerned about race and national discrimination against farmworkers in
relation to housing. (WSHRC, 2007) The following are facts they provide.

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o The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says

some of the most severe farmworker housing issues are in the Pacific
Northwest and Florida
o Housing discrimination is prevalent against Hispanic families
o It is becoming difficult for non-profit agencies to find locations to build
farmworker housing
o There are many types of farm work in Washington State including
cherry, apple, asparagus, and other fruits and vegetables in Eastern and
Central Washington, fruit and vegetable packing houses, floral harvesting
(such as tulips) in the Skagit Valley, forestry work in Western
Washington and aquaculture farming which includes the harvesting of
oysters and other shellfish in Western Washington
The Department of Employment Security (DES) estimated that Washington
State has a peak of 90,000 migrant workers over the course of the summer and
fall, when pruning and harvesting take place. (News America Media, 2013)
The right of farmworkers to organize into unions in Washington is not as
protected as it is in California under that states Agriculture Labor Act. (News
America Media, 2013)
National The national non-profit organization called Farmworker Justice seeks to
empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to improve their living and
working conditions, immigration status, health, occupational safety and access
to justice. It is based in Washington D.C. and was founded in 1981.
(Farmworker Justice, 2015) The following are facts they provide.
o As many as 70% or more of farmworkers are undocumented
o Seventy-six perfect of all farmworkers identify as Latino/Hispanic with
Spanish being the most dominant language for 70% of all farmworkers,
57% of them speaking little (30%) or no (27%) English
o Seventy-six perfect of all farmworkers are men
o The average total individual income is $15,000-$17,499, this figure may
include income earned from jobs outside of agriculture
United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
started the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All
migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 2003. The objective of the
convention is to protect migrant workers and their families from exploitation
of their human rights. (UNESCO, 2014) They list the following rights.
o Migrant workers have the right to be temporarily absent for reasons of
family needs and obligation without effect on their authorization to stay
or work.
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o They should have the right to move freely in the territory of the state of
employment and they should be able to choose where they wish to
reside.
o Migrant workers should be ensured due process and must be provided
with necessary legal assistance, interpreters and information in their
language.
o Migrant workers are to be treated as equal to the nationals of the host
country in respect of remuneration and conditions of work (overtime,
hours of work, weekly rest, holidays with pay, safety, health, termination
of work contract, minimum age, restrictions on home work, etc).
Short Bios:
Andrew Eckels, a committee leader, is a senior at Fairhaven College studying social
movements. He is passionate about social justice issues and got involved after learning
from the farm workers what was happening at Sakuma Brothers. They asked him to
support the struggle. For him, it is one of the most important social movements in the
Pacific Northwest.
Contact: wwuboycottcomittee@gmail.com
Kathryn Durning, a committee leader, is a junior at Fairhaven College with a
concentration in Law, Diversity and Justice: cultural and social borders in the United
States. Durning became part of the club after the call to action from the farm workers
of Familias Unidas por la Justicia. She supports justice and dignity for all people.
Contact: kathryndurning@gmail.com
Raichle Dunkeld, a committee leader, is a first-year Fairhaven student who is currently
undecided with a focus on environmental advocacy. She became a part of the club last
January after an event was held. She believes in the rights of undocumented workers
and believes that working in solidarity to create a union contract is an achievable and
meaningful goal.
Contact: raichledunkeld@gmail.com
Boilerplate: Western Washington University Students for Farm worker Justice was
founded in 2014 after students were asked to join in solidarity with the farm workers
of Sakuma Bros in Skagit County, Washington. This Associated Students club, which
is dedicated to the support and assistance of the farm workers and raising awareness
about local farm worker issues, meets once a week on Thursdays in the Humanities
building on WWUs campus. The committee is non-hierarchical with no official titles
in place.
http://boycottsakumaberries.com/
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Sources
About Farmwoker Justice. Farmworker Justice.
http://www.farmworkerjustice.org/about-farmworker-justice
Becker, Christina. Students for Farm Worker Justice stage protest. The Western Front. 2015.
http://www.westernfrontonline.net/news/news_photo/article_1afe1ed4-be45-11e4-a8b24f4e9e0310da.html
Brenman, Marc. Farmworkers Deserve Discrimination Free-Housing. Washington State
Human Rights Commission Executive Director. 2007.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/exec/civilrights/documents/farmworker.ashx?la=en
Familias Unidas por la Justicia. Boycott Sakuma Berries. 2015.
http://boycottsakumaberries.com/how-you-can-walk-with-familias-unidas-por-la-justicia/
International Migration Convention. UNESCO. 2014.
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/internationalmigration/international-migration-convention/
Randall, Rebecca. What can Sakuma workers on strike learn from Food Chains?Seattle
Globalist. 2015.
http://seattleglobalist.com/2015/01/02/can-sakuma-workers-strike-learn-foodchains/31979
Sakuma Brothers Berry Farms. Sakuma Bros. 2015.
http://sakumafacts.com/about/
Turnbull, Lornet and Boiko-Weyrauch, Anna. Striking farmworkes afraid of guest-worker
program. Seattle Times. 2013.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/striking-farmworkers-afraid-of-guest-workerprogram/
Holmes, Seth. What we Learn From the Indigenous Farmworker Strike in Pac. Northwest.
News American Media. 2013.
http://newamericamedia.org/2013/07/what-we-learn-from-the-indigenous-farmworkerstrike-in-pac-northwest.php

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