PROPOSAL FOR SERIES OF “REGIONAL SUMMITS” ON ISSUES OF LABOR RELATIONS, WAGES, AND OTHER WORKING CONDITIONS IN FLORIDA’S FIELDS

FROM THE UNITED COMMUNITY OF FLORIDA FARM WORKERS
(, United Farm Workers, Farm Worker Association of Florida, and Dade City Farm Worker Self-Help)

TO GOVERNOR JEB BUSH
TALLAHASSEE

WHEREAS, agricultural workers in the great state of Florida continue to suffer truly sub-standard and shameful working and living conditions; and

WHEREAS, the growers of our state continue to flatly reject all efforts toward cooperation and dialogue on the part of agricultural workers to improve those unacceptable conditions; and

WHEREAS, Governor Jeb Bush has declared in his yearly Proclamation of “Florida Farm Worker Week” that we as a state must look “towards a future of continued cooperation between agricultural employers, both large and small, and farm workers,”;

THEREFORE, we, as a united community of agricultural workers across Florida, ask of Governor Bush that he use his political and moral leadership to help resolve the problems of labor relations, wages, and other working conditions in the fields of our state.

Specifically, we ask that Governor Bush organize and facilitate a series of four regional talks, or “summits”, on the issues of labor relations, wages, and other working conditions, to be held between growers active in the state’s fruit and vegetable industry and representatives of farm worker organizations.

We ask that these talks be held in the following towns: Dade City, Immokalee, Apopka, and Quincy, and that they be completed before January 1, 2001.

The Governor or a representative of his administration would serve as facilitator and mediator of the talks. The Governor must participate personally in at least one of the four talks.

As a result of this series of talks, the Governor would produce a report with his recommendations for a practical mechanism for fair and appropriate resolution of labor conflicts in agriculture in the future. The report must be made public before April 1, 2001.

The Governor would make all good-faith efforts to encourage the growers to participate, but in the event that they do not agree to do so, the Governor (and/or his representative) must hold three meetings with farm worker representatives and complete his report on an appropriate labor conflict resolution mechanism before January 31, 2001.