Workers at Spreckels Sugar end unfair labor practice strike
BRAWLEY – Spreckels Sugar workers have ended their unfair labor practice strike.
Since the morning of Thursday, March 9, union workers at Spreckels Sugar in Brawley and Imperial had been engaged in an unfair labor practice strike against the company, according to an United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 135 press release, the workers union which represents the Spreckels workers. Through the help of a federal mediator, a resolution was reached late in the afternoon on Tuesday, March 21. With a resolution reached, the strike was called off and workers returned to work on Wednesday, March 22, the release states.
The following is a joint statement by Spreckels Sugar Company and UFCW Local 135:
“We are very pleased to report that Spreckels Sugar Company and UFCW Local 135 have agreed to a settlement that will end the strike,” the release reads. “It is unfortunate that unprecedented interest rate increases, that were not the fault of either the Company or the Union, caused the frustration and disappointment that resulted in the employees going out on
strike. Both the Union and the Company look forward to putting this matter behind us and getting back to the very good relations we have enjoyed for decades.”
“The workers at Spreckels Sugar have proven their grit and determination,” UFCW Local 135 President Todd Walters said in the release. “It took courage and conviction to go out on strike. For the rest of their lives, they will remember the strength of their unity and solidarity with one another. I am proud of them for taking the stand that they did.”
UFCW Local 135 represents over 100 year-round workers and over 100 seasonal workers at Spreckels Sugar Company at two locations in Imperial County: the sugar processing plant located in Brawley and a warehouse in Imperial, according to the release.