OXNARD : Unions Plan Protest of GOP’s ‘Contract’

A coalition of labor unions is planning a march Sunday in Oxnard to protest “unfair wages and benefits” and rally against the Republican “contract with America.”

The march, organized by the United Farm Workers Union, will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday. It will start at the Cesar E. Chavez School in La Colonia, making its way through downtown Oxnard’s Plaza Park before ending in Del Sol Park at 3 p.m.

Mario Brito, head of the county’s UFW bureau, said the march was timed to coincide with the California Strawberry Festival to remind people that farm workers are the ones who pick the celebrated fruit.

“I think it’s a hypocrisy we’re trying to show,” Brito said. “When they talk about the strawberry festival, who are they talking about? The growers. The whole thing is to celebrate the growers. But the workers are the ones who spend all day in the fields, breaking their back.”

But Brito said the march is not just about farm workers. The event is for all working people, who he and other union members say are being sold out by the Republican Congress.

“We’re calling attention to the plight of working people in this country,” Brito said.

“The Republicans’ ‘contract with America’ is dangerous to families. They are trying to take away many of the things we have fought for for years.”

Brito said he expects between 1,000 and 2,000 workers to attend. Other unions that have pledged to take part include the National Assn. of Letter Carriers, the Communication Workers of America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Postal Workers of America.