Talks at Egg City Reach Impasse Over Rehiring

Egg City owner Richard Carrott said Sunday that talks have broken down in the 11-week-old labor dispute at the Ventura County ranch and charged that strikers have been harassing replacement workers.

Negotiators for Egg City, the world’s largest chicken ranch, and the United Farm Workers, which represents the 240 workers who walked out on June 24, last met on Tuesday. At the time, they did not set a date to resume discussions.

The main unresolved issue, both sides have said, is how many strikers will be called back if a final agreement is reached. Last month, negotiators said a preliminary agreement was reached on pay cuts and some of the other issues.

Egg City has maintained that it would bring strikers back based on a preferential hiring list. The UFW wants all the workers brought back.

Carrott charged Sunday that the UFW has been harassing its replacement workers and its customers, such as restaurant owners. Carrott said incidents have included name-calling, rock-throwing and the breaking of car windows.

“We have a moral obligation to the people we’ve hired as permanent replacements,” Carrott said. “In many cases, they’ve put their lives on the line.”

Ben Maddock, UFW group executive for the crop division, denied the harassment charges, saying, “I think that Mr. Carrott just doesn’t want a contract, and now he is trying to grab at straws.”

Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. George Conahey said there have been complaints of violence filed involving Egg City workers, but said he wasn’t sure about the nature of the complaints or whether there have been arrests.

Egg City cut workers’ wages by $2 an hour in June, saying the reduction was necessary for the ranch to survive. The move came one month after Egg City filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.