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Demand that Ruby Ridge Dairy Respect Workers

Started by Just *C*

New: Fight Brewing at Washington State Dairy 

Workers at Ruby Ridge Dairy in Eastern Washington complain of toiling ten, twelve, even fourteen hours a day. Not only do they not get overtime, they don’t even get breaks. Nor do they get to stop and eat lunch. Try that, and the boss will threaten to fire them.

Under those conditions it’s perhaps not surprising that four workers who went to the UFW for help have already gotten fired.

Workers are fed up with these horrendous conditions and have asked the UFW to represent them.The owners of Ruby Ridge have responded with more threats and intimidation. Faced with no other choice the UFW helped the workers file suit.

You can assist these workers in winning justice. Please contact Dick and Ruby Bengen, the owners of Ruby Ridge. Demand they respect workers, rehire the four workers who they fired, and recognize the UFW as the union of the workers’ choosing.

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Comments, Suggestions and Stories

  1. Ann Cawley

    Ann Cawley Saint Joseph, MO @ 06:14PM PT Aug 23

    Thank you for writing to the Ruby Ridge Dairy & telling them to rehire the four workers who they fired and recognize the UFW as the union of the workers’ choosing.

    Please help us spread the word about this campaign.  Forward this message to at least 10 friends or family and ask them to send a email

  2. Alisha Nickols

    Alisha Nickols Stockton, CA @ 04:23PM PT Aug 21
    Pledge fulfilled Aug 21!

    Pledge completed.

  3. Chrys Ostrander

    Chrys Ostrander Davenport, WA @ 07:05PM PT Aug 19

    Folks,

    I received this action alert via email from the United Farm Workers this morning. This alert raised some questions in my mind that I wanted to clear up before forwarding the message to my contacts. My main question was why is the UFW helping the workers take the Dairy to court? If these types of violations of workplace regulations are taking place at the Dairy, shouldn't the UFW and the workers lodge formal complaints with the Department of Labor and Industries of Washington State?

    I went to the UFW website and found the number for their Washington office in Tacoma and left my question on their answering machine. This afternoon I received a call from Erik Nicholson, national vice president of the UFW. He told me the reason that UFW did not go to L&I about this is that it's UFW's experience that L&I is ineffective at addressing complaints such as the ones described. He said that the law allows for direct access to the courts in instances like this.

    News reports indicate that the Northwest Dairy Association (a cooperative of dairy farmers, of which the Ruby Ridge Dairy is a member, that owns Darigold) had been attempting to negotiate on behalf of the dairy with the workers and the UFW. Apparently, these negotiations fell apart, resulting in the lawsuit. If the workers at Ruby Ridge Dairy join the UFW, it will be the first unionized dairy within the association.

    Mr. Nicholson told me that workers and the UFW believe that as a result of labor organizing efforts at the Ruby Ridge Dairy, 20% of the work force there has been fired. The lawsuit asks for remedies including compensation for not being able to take lunch and rest breaks, compensation for hours worked and not paid and also the rehiring of the fired workers.

    Please help the UFW support these workers.

    Chrys Ostrander

  4. Just *C*

    Just *C* Mosheim, TN @ 10:51AM PT Aug 19

    Initiated this Pledge!

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