Union Access to Farm Workers
In a piece on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (Commentary, April 7), Paul Richardson more than implies that the access given the United Farm Workers to the private property of farmers should be taken away since “only farm labor organizers in California enjoy such access.” What he does not seem to recall is the reason for giving such access.
In non-farm industries organizers can get access to workers when they arrive at work at the start of their workday, or when they leave at the end of their day. When they have some names and addresses they can get to workers at home. Farm workers usually arrive on the farm when their employment begins, live on quarters on the property during their employment and if they leave to go to town, that is not at predictable times. In short, in other industries access to the employer’s property would be convenient for organizers, for the UFW it is the only way organizing is possible.
Removal of access would leave farm workers with an empty right to unionize, but with no practical way of unionizing.
NEIL GARSTON
Professor of Economics
Cal State L.A.
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