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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06132000 - SD12 Contra TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ' Costa el`, e, FROM: Supervisor Joe Canciamilla County DATE: June 13, 2000 r, SUBJECT: CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION RELATED TO THE PURCHASE OF FOOD GOODS FROM COMPANIES KNOWN AS "BASIC VEGETABLE PRODUCTS" AND "BASIC AMERICAN FOODS". SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDED ACTION: 1. Consider adoption of the attached resolution related to the purchase of food goods from companies known as "Basic Vegetable Products", and their parent company, "Basic American Foods". BACKGROUND INFORMATION: On July 7, 1999 workers employed by Basic Vegetable Products went on strike. This strike began when the company demanded a three-year wage freeze, a reduction in working hours, and the contracting out of many jobs. Since the initiation of the strike, Basic Products has also demanded the elimination of the company's pension plan. In September 1999 the striking workers were permanently replaced. Basic Vegetable is the largest employer in King City, California and this strike has directly affected nearly 800 employees and their families. Should Contra Costa County purchase food products for any of it's County facilities, (for example Juvenile Hail, the County Hospital, or the County Jail), they would be placed in the position of providing support to the employer at the detriment of the employees. Through representatives of our Purchasing Department, I have confirmed that we do not currently, nor have we in at least the last 24 months, purchased any food products from either Basic Vegetable or its parent company. Until this strike has been settled, I believe we should continue to withhold any purchases from Basic Vegetable or Basic American. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE_,.,,, RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECO'MM914DATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHERy,, SIGNATURE(S) ACTION OF BOARD ON June 13 , 200 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED: XX OTHER: On this date,the fallowing people appeared to speak on this matter,Rafael Morfin,Teamsters Locals 590,601 N.Second Street,Ring City,CA and Alex Ybarrolaza,Teamsters Local 890,7251 Amanda Street,Dublin,CA.Following the comments,the $ANd& ftdgSfs and took the following action: APPROVED the recommended action,and ADOPTED Resolution No.2000/299. XX UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ------°-- ) AYES: NOES: I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED June 13 . 2000 PHIL BATCHELOR, L RK OF THE BOARD OF cc: County Administrator's Office UPERVISORS AND U ADMINISTRATOR General Services—Purchasing I h J.Dalrymple—Central Labor Council Cl Mack—Teamster Joint Council No.7BY UTY Zfae Board of Supervisors of Contra Coster County In the Matter of Wsolution No. 2000/299 Contra Costa County &solving JVot to Purchase Food Goods from Basic 'Vegeta6le Products, or it's Parent company, Basic-American WWIEA,5, Contra Costa County makfs bulk purchases of foodproducts for use in its facilities, includzing the County's medicafanddetention fatties;and 11WEPUM, Contra Costa County has been made aware of the ongoing strik f of nearly 800 employees of Basic Vegetable, a su6sidzary of OasicAmerican Foods;and IVJI E AS, these nearby 800 employees have been on strik?since jufy 1999 over empfoyer demands which included a 3 year wage freeze, a reduction in dairy working hours, and a proposal to contract out jobs; and `P1f ' AS, subsequent to going out on strikf the employees were hit with add tionaldemands, including the elimination of theirpension andira September 1999 adstriking employees were permanently replaced and ` a AS, Contra Costa County should not be involvedin this serious fa6or dispute, and has legitimate concerns about how quality and consistency can be maintainedwhen a company is in a protracted labor dispute;and UaJ-il EUAS, it has been confirmed that Contra Costa County is not currently involved, nor has it been involved in at least 24 months, with the purchase of any food products from either Basic Vegetable, or its parent company, BasicAmerican foods. JVO`t , THEUTOW E, BE IT TESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Contra Costa, CaCtfornia, does hereby resolve that it willrefrain from purchasing products producedby Basic American Foods, or its subsidiaries, either in 6ufk,of under whatever 1a6els they may be markgted until such time as the labor dispute is settled PASSED by unanimous vote of the Board%embers present on this 13th day 5une, 2000. I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a resolution entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date aforesaid. TOtness my hand andthe Sealof the Board of Supervisors affivdon this 13th day of,9une,2000. ML OATMLOT,Cla kof the BoardofSupem*ors and County,Administrator Dqwty Introducedf S'up` rjoeCanciamiffa Otstrict'V i.� INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS AFL-CIO OFFICE OFJune 2000 JAMES P. HOFFA GENERAL PRESIDENT Dear Friends: In a small town in Central California, 800 working families are standing up to a powerful company which is trying to destroy their standard of living and break our Union. Members of Teamsters Local Union 890 in King City, California, have been on strike-at Basic Vegetable Products, Inc., since July 7, 1999. This grueling strike is not about how much these workers should get paid; rather a deliberate attempt by owners with a proven anti-immigrant, anti-worker, and anti-human rights record, to destroy the workers who built their enterprise. The right to deal collectively with an employer is a fundamental human right. The owners of Basic Vegetable have set out in a calculated way to take that right away from their employees. From the first day of these negotiations, the company had no intention of settling an agreement. They intended to break the workers and their Union. They first demanded a three-year wage freeze, in addition to a cut in hours for the bottom half of the work force. Six weeks into the strike they placed 25 new items on the table—items as inflammatory as elimination of pensions, two tier-wage and benefit systems, plus requiring a $20 per employee co-pay until Basic Vegetable had recovered all costs and losses associated with the strike. In September, they permanently replaced all of the strikers. Basic Vegetable has never negotiated seriously and has informed us that even if the Union accepts every proposed concession, Teamsters Local Union 890 members would have to take their place in line, as new hires, behind the strikebreakers. 25 LOUISIANA AVENUE , N .W . • WASHINGTON , D . C . 20001 -2198 • (202) 524-6800 This conduct is consisted with the pattern of the Hume family of San Francisco. The Humes have given early and significant money to California ballot initiatives to eliminate affirmative action (Proposition 209), to eliminate the rights of Unions to engage in political action (Proposition 226), to eliminate bilingual education (Proposition 227), and to promote school vouchers. It is truly ironic that they are taking money earned for them by an overwhelmingly Latino workforce with a large female contingent and using it to finance measures which will hurt these very workers and their families. This strike is about fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and held dear by working people and their supporters. I believe that the situation at Basic 'Vegetables is a model of corporate behavior which, if it is allowed to succeed, will undermine_everything we stand for. Enclosed is a packet of information which contains aseries of actions your organization can take to support these courageous workers. As these workers approach their one-year anniversary on the picket line, we are counting on our friends for support, which, together with the inspiring solidarity of these strikers, will take us to a successful conclusion. Together, we will show employers, like Basic Vegetable, that the rights of working families must be respected. Si se puede! Sincerely, ?7 / James P. Hoffa General President JPH.mb Enclosure(s) w 207 North SanbornRoad CA ► •0 Tel- 831 424 r i * The Basic Story June, 2000 The nearly 800 employees of Basic Vegetable Products in King City, California, members of Teamsters Local 890, have been on strike since July 7, 1999. The strike began when Basic demanded a three-year wage freeze, a reduction in working hours, and the contracting out of over thirty jobs. Subsequently, Basic increased their demands, including the elimination of the pension plan, and a 50%co-pay for health bene- fits. In September, Basic"permanently replaced" the strikers. Basic's actions have wreaked havoc on King City, where they are the largest employer in a town of 10,000. But they will not break us. After nearly one year our strike is strong, our picket lines are solid. We would like to see this strike resolved, but this will only happen if Basic's owners understand that this issue will con- tinue to cost them large amounts of money until they return the strikers to work with a reasonable contract. In February 2000 the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, AFL-CIO, initiated a boycott of products of Basic Vegetable and its parent company, Basic American Foods. Basic`s dried vegetable products (pota- toes, beans, and spices) are used in schools, hospitals, jails and other large facilities across the country. School districts and local government's continuing to purchase from Basic are economically supporting their efforts to crush these workers, whether they want to or not. We therefore urge school boards and local gov- ernments to take a position of neutrality by refusing to purchase Basic products until this matter is settled. Some months ago it became evident that Basic planned to break our union by waiting until the one year anniversary of the strike—at which time strikers would lose the right to vote in any election regarding union representation — and then filing a decertification petition. To preserve the strikers' right to vote the Union chose to file its own petition for certification. As a result there will be an election this month. Strikers eligi- ble to vote along with replacement workers.. It also became obvious that Basic planned to win the election by "packing the unit", hiring more scabs than there are strikers. Accordingly, although the strike continues and the Boycott Basic campaign continues to grow, Local 890 members voted overwhelmingly to have several hundred strikers offer to return to work. The immediate impact of this decision is that it will become numerically impossible for the company to pack the unit, as they will be unable to hire new scabs. This is not a retreat or a defeat. While this was a difficult decision, we took it because it has become clear that Basic was prepared to lose upwards of twenty million dollars on a strategy that utilized the permanent replacement laws to destroy the union at Basic. We will not sit still and allow that to happen. We believe that this new offensive presents our best chance to win a fair settlement protecting the rights of all strikers. The strike continues. While this strategy will prevent the company from defeating us in an election, most of the members of Local 890 will remain on strike until we win a fair contract. Until then, we continue to count on your support, and we will continue to expand our boycott. 207 NorthSanborn Road Salinas, CA • •0 Tel- 408 424 5743 Fax: 831 42420912.i Where Basic's money goes Recent research by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Citizenship Project have revealed that the Hume family of San Francisco, owners of Basic'Vegetable Products and Basic American Foods are among the biggest contributors to extreme right-wing causes in the United States. The Humes are part of a network of very wealthy conservatives whose cash contributions have paid for a continuing series of right-wing campaigns, focusing on the California initiative process. There is clearly an intimate relationship between the owners of this company and the most anti-union and anti-Latino trends in recent times. A few recent contributions to such campaigns include: o $25,000 to Proposition 209, the "Civil Rights Initiative" banning affirmative action, by Patricia B. Hume, wife of board chairman Wiliam J. Hume (April, 1995). A March 10, 1996 San Francisco Examiner story describes this donation as particularly important both because of its size and because it came early in the campaign. o $100,000 to "CA for Paycheck Protection , a Committee of Pete Wilson for Prop 226" by "G and L. Hume Family Trust'; G Hume is president of the company (April 2, 1998). • o $100,000 to"CA for Paycheck Protection, ", by George H. Hume, president of the company (May 5, 1998) • o $50,000 contribution to campaign for Proposition 227, banning bilingual education in California pub- lic schools (1998). • o $105,000 contributions to voucher initiatives in Oregon, Colorado and Wsconsin (1996-1998) • , $120,000 contribution to Gloria Tuchman, candidate for California State Superintendent of Schools, by William J. Hume, Board Chairman of Basic Vegetable (1998). See "Five Fat Cats and a Flip Flop: Bankrolled by a Few Wealthy Conservatives, a California Candidate Reverses Her Stance on Their Pet Issue: School Vouchers", by John Zebrowski at hftp:/twwwmojones.com/news—wire/zebrowski.htmi. Zebrowski argues that the contributions to to Tuchman were instrumental in turning her into a crusader for school vouchers. June, 2000 :s .7 The Basic Boycott i Norlh Sanborn r CA 93905 1 ' M • Basic Vegetable products are not everday items you'll f ind in the supermarket. Basic Vegetable and its parent company, Basic American Products, sell institutional food-- dehydrated beans, potatoes and spices--to hospitals, schools, universities and prisons throughout the United States. Basic also sells ingredients to companies Isuch as Campbell Soup and Lipton. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is therefore asking county governments, school boards and university and hospital administrators to let Basic know that they will buy these products elsewhere until the strike is successfully resolved. So far, school boards is San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and other communities in the Bay Area have joined the boycott. San Francisco and Alameda Counties are in the process, along with San Francisco State University and the University of California at Berkeley. The list is growing every day. Here's how you can help ' Step 1 -- Ask your local union, Joint Council and AFL-CIO Labor Council to support the Boycott. * Step ? -- Ask your school board and county government to pass a resolution sup- porting the Boycott. Send them the Basic Boycott fact sheet, sample resolution and the List of Alternative Products. You can find this information at www.teamsters89O.org/strike * Step 3 -- Follow up with phone calls and visits to board members. Ask for their sup- port, and ask them to help you win over the majority. If you need help, call Local 890 at 1 831 424 5743. * Step 4 -- Contact Teamsters Local 8907 at 1 831 424 5743 or at www.team- sters890.orgfstriike and join the Basic Strike e-mail network. The Basic Boycott 207 North • Road CA • • i Tel i ` 831 4242091 iij 4' Alameda County Supervisors Back Basic Boycott The following resolution was passed unanimously by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on June 6, 2000. It covers all county purchases at Highland Hospital, Santa Rita County Jail and Juvenile Hall, RESOLUTION DIRECTING PURCHASING AGENT TO IDENTIFY AND DISCONTINUE COUNTY PURCHASES OF FOOD PRODUCTS FROM BASIC AMERICAN FOODS AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES Whereas, Alameda County may be purchasing food products produced by Basic American Foods and its subsidiaries; and Whereas, Employees of Basic Vegetable Products, a subsidiary of Basic American Foods, have been on strike since last July over employer demands for a wage freeze and the elimination of pension benefits; and Whereas, In September, the 750 striking workers represented by Teamsters Local 890 were per- manently replaced at Basic Vegetable Products; and Whereas, Alameda County should not be involved in this serious labor dispute and that by continu- ing to purchase goods from Basic American Foods and its subsidiaries, the County is placed in the position of siding with a company that has permanently replaced workers who have simply exer- cised their democratic rights; and Whereas, The County has legitimate concerns about how quality and consistency can be maintained when the company is in a protracted labor dispute, NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this Board of Supervisors, County of Alameda, State of California, does hereby direct the Purchasing Agent for the County to investigate and deter- mine to what extent the County may be directly or indirectly purchasing food products produced by Basic American Foods and its subsidiaries, and to identify alternative suppliers for those products; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the County's Purchasing Agent is hereby directed to refrain from purchasing products produced by Basic American Foods and its subsidiaries, either in bulk or under whatever labels they may be marketed until such time as the labor dispute is settled. BASIC PRODUCTS AND ,ALTERNATIVES Basic Vegetable products and Basic American Foods sell their products under a large number of brand names. Boycott supporters should also be aware, however, that some food contractors package Basic products under their own brands. Any boycott resolution, therefore,should specifically instruct vendors not to use Basic Vegetable or Basic American products under any packaging. Please don't buy Sunspiced Basic Fresh Flavor Snow White Mello Toasted Basic Certified Organic Dial-A-Heart CVG Hi-Flavor - Potato pearls Golden Grill Redi-Shred Classic Casserole Santiago Quick-Start Chili Mixpotatoes ,Alternative Products Potatoes Idahoan Foods Nestle Brands Food Service Idaho pacific Bean Products Nabisco,Inc Fri jole Ole Mexicali Rose Spices Atlantic Quality Spice Seasonings McCormick Foodservice