Walmart-at-the-Crossroads-FINAL-06.04.15

prominent supplier to Walmart, yet Walmart
has thus far avoided engaging in the campaign
in favor of Gerawan workers.
A few examples demonstrate the
unlawful behavior that workers experience at
Gerawan Farming. After circulating a picture
in which he displayed his support for the
union, Gerawan worker Pablo Gutierrez was
fired. He says, “I was fired by [Gerawan] for
taking a picture. I was talking to my co-workers
about the conditions and how eating next to the bathrooms can affect us and the fruit. I believe this was
retaliation by [Gerawan].”
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In 2012, another worker, Blanca Cruz, reported of the unsafe and
unsanitary working conditions they are forced to endure: “...we are working very fast… and I stepped
into a gopher hole. When I fell into the gopher hole, they notified a foreman. He did not ask about my
foot or my hand because when I fell, my hand swelled up. I felt very bad because they did not care
about me. A co-worker tied a handkerchief around my hand to help stabilize it, and that is how I
worked all day, with one hand.”
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Despite the long battle between Gerawan and the United Farm Workers, and despite repeated
official complaints alleging the company’s violations of its workers’ rights, Walmart continues to
maintain a neutral stance about the dispute, even though its Standards for Suppliers
require all vendors to allow workers to exercise their right to join unions and bargain
collectively.
Photo courtesy of the United Farm Workers Union
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