3 L.A.-Area Members of Congress Join Backers of UFW Grape Boycott

The United Farm Workers’ grape boycott received additional support Thursday when three Los Angeles-area congressmen pledged to abstain from food for a day to continue the fast UFW President Cesar Chavez conducted last summer.

Reps. Esteban Torres (D-La Puente), Howard Berman (D-Panorama City) and Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton), joined by four lawmakers from other states, told a press conference that their fasts, like Chavez’s, are designed to protest the use of allegedly dangerous pesticides on California table grapes.

In a method dubbed “tag-team fasting,” the members will fast for a day and then “pass” the fast to another member. The other lawmakers taking part are Reps. Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.), Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.), Ted Weiss (D-N.Y.) and Gerry Sikorski (D-Minn.).

Chavez’s 36-day, water-only fast, which ended Aug. 21, brought nationwide attention to the union’s allegations that the pesticides can cause cancer and birth defects in farm workers.

Grape growers and other boycott opponents contend that the pesticides are safe. They say the union is using the boycott as a tool to gain influence among non-union grape workers and to protest Gov. George Deukmejian’s appointments to the Agriculture Labor Relations Board.

Torres promised to “step up the tempo” of legislation designed to ban the use of pesticides opposed by the UFW. Berman said that a House subcommittee headed by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles) is investigating the matter with the intent of developing legislation for next year.

UFW Vice President Art Rodriguez said the boycott has made “a tremendous amount of progress.” Both the price of grapes and grape shipments have dropped, Rodriguez said.

The California Table Grape Commission disagreed.

“The market is really steady,” said Kathi Nave, director of consumer services for the commission.