We Clarify and Reiterate the Driscoll’s Boycott is in Full Force

National Democratic Independent Union of Agricultural Workers
September 7, 2016

To all organizations
To all democratic unions
To all communities
To all autonomous committees
To the media

We Clarify and Reiterate the Driscoll’s Boycott is in Full Force

The Alliance of National, State and Municipal Organizations for Social Justice (AONEMJS) and the National Democratic Independent Union of Agricultural Workers (SINDJA) state the following:

After more than a year of struggle that began in the San Quintín Valley of Baja California when more than 80,000 farmworkers rose up in protest in order to improve their working and living conditions, we remain in resistance. In front of government bodies we have reported on the inhumane conditions that farm working families live with daily, our voices have been heard in the Mexican Congress, in the the United Nations, and even in Geneva.

We Clarify and Reiterate the Driscoll’s Boycott is in Full Force as it was called for by us more than a year ago and has been supported by consumers in Mexico, the United States, and other parts of the world, by organizations, democratic unions, communities, and consumer groups. We extend our greatest recognition for the support provided thus far. San Quintín has shown that slavery in Mexico has never been abolished, we continue to see in the fields the same inhumane conditions, treatment, discrimination, and lack of protection for agricultural workers. Chemicals are still being used that contaminate the water and fruit that are harvested; to this point all Driscoll’s subsidiaries have refused to recognize the union’s representation (SINDJA) of farmworkers in San Quintín or to negotiate the signing of a collective bargaining agreement. According to some reports, the boycott is in question. Our stance continues to be the same. We strongly support the Driscoll’s Boycott for the benefit of the farmworkers in San Quintín.

We are committed to continuing to promote the Driscoll’s Boycott, to expanding to more cities in Mexico and the United States in 2016 as agreed upon at the March of the Two Californias, and to continue reaching out to different spaces to raise the awareness of the millions of consumers around the world who buy Driscoll’s products. We will not shut down the organizational work that has cost us more than a year’s work. We will take the necessary time to continue pushing the boycott. We know it will take a long time, but we are convinced that we will succeed with the same pressure of millions of consumers.

We will continue our resistance, boycotting Driscoll’s for the dignity of thousands of farmworkers that have supported the movement since March of last year, always in good faith, warmth, peace and towards a better life and a better future for farmworkers’ families in San Quintín.

BOYCOTT DRISCOLL’S!
NO TO EXPLOITATION!
FOR A BETTER FUTURE AND A NEW COUNTRY!
FOR A BETTER FUTURE AND A FAIR COUNTRY!

Fraternally,

Alliance of National, State and Municipal Organizations for Social Justice (AONEMJS)
National Democratic Independent Union of Agricultural Workers (SINDJA)