written in response to the UFW contract agreement with Gallo wines of Sonoma;
So now that the UFW organized Gallo boicot is over, is Gallo committed to discontinuing use of toxic and carcinogenic pesticides?
Am not going to celebrate with a bottle of Gallo wine. Am continuing the Gallo boicot due to their continued use of pesticides. If anything i would support local organic vinyards that care enough about their workers to cease any direct exposure to pesticides. Smaller farms usually get to know their workers personally, an impossibility with large corporations like Gallo. The UFW can help workers on organic farms also, though the need may not be as strong there as the naturally oppressive Gallo corporation. Gallo's operation is inherently unsustainable and they are unable to discontinue use of pesticides. Pesticide drift from Gallo vinyards continues to enter the lungs of people thoughout Sonoma. The UFW may compromise on certain issues, however abolition of pesticide exposure to workers isn't on their list of "realistic expectations."
"Farmworkers who are exposed to toxic pesticides on an ongoing basis are at greater risk for cancer, birth defects, depression and other diseases, as well as work-related injury. Under current U.S. pesticide law, farmworkers are not treated as equals with the rest of society. Pesticide cancer and other disease risks are permitted to be ten times higher for farmworkers than the general population."
above from Beyond Pesticides;
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/news/daily_news_archive/2005/07_19_05.htm We can continue to expect immigrant grape pickers employed by Gallo to be exposed to toxic and carcinogenic pesticides. Maybe their pay raise can pay for ineffective chemotherapy treatment for cancer? Doubt it..
If any Gallo wine bottle ever enters my hands i'll smash it on the ground without purchasing it in honor of all the people who died of cancer from pesticide exposure while working in Gallo's corporate vinyards..
Gallo vinyards needs to be shut down and land redistributed to the surrounding community and immigrant grape workers. Migrant workers can own and profit from the land they work, they'll treat it better than a corporation..
This may seem unrealistic for the UFW also, yet in an anarchist free state this would be the most likely outcome. The ecosystem, people and the economy would benefit from the removal of corporate vinyards from Sonoma and elsewhere..
As Castro would say, Viva la revolucion!
luna moth