Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 09


     
     1   Q.   There is a union I have heard of through general reading in
     2        this report mentioned in your statement which I think is
     3        particularly strong in California, partly because of the
     4        influx of Mexican workers on the fruit farms there?
     5        A.  My Lord, there are, I am going to call it, a handful,
     6        not just one union, but I believe (and I will get into more
     7        detail in a second) a handful of unions in the US that
     8        would fit the definition that I believe you are
     9        prescribing.
    10
    11        It is true that there is the United Farm Workers that have
    12        displayed some interest.  However, I would not say that
    13        either they are alone or the strongest in expressing their
    14        interest.  There are variety of unions.  One union that has
    15        keen interest, if you will, in our workers would be the
    16        United Food and Commercial Workers.  That union in the
    17        United States used to be known as the Retail Clerks and the
    18        Amalgamated Food Cutters, I think, was their name.  They
    19        joined together into this United Food and Commercial
    20        Workers Union.  They have a very keen interest.
    21
    22        There is the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union.  These
    23        are very, very large unions that I am speaking of.  That
    24        has a very, very keen interest in this area.
    25
    26        You mentioned the Transport Workers here in Britain -- we
    27        call them the "Teamsters Union" in the United States --
    28        have expressed that interest, and there would be others
    29        that have expressed keen interest.  Another one that has
    30        very loudly and clearly expresses their interest in media
    31        campaigns and others, the Service Employees International
    32        Union; another one that clearly displays its interest in
    33        attempts organising within our industry, and I include
    34        retailing and other service industries as well.  They
    35        express a keen interest.
    36
    37        All of these unions I am mentioning have active organising
    38        branches, if you will, union officials whose full-time it
    39        is to organise the sector of industry that we are in.
    40
    41   MR. RAMPTON:  Thank you, Mr. Stein.  I think you have also
    42        answered the next part of this sentence.  I stopped at the
    43        words "for these workers".  It goes on: "... and the ones
    44        they could join", that is the workers, "show little
    45        interest in the problem of part-timers".  Do you see that?
    46        A.  I just started.
    47
    48   Q.   Let me read it again:  "There is no union specifically for
    49        these workers", you have dealt with that?
    50        A.  Yes. 
    51 
    52   Q.  "... and the ones", that is the unions, "they", the workers, 
    53         "could join show little interest in the problems of
    54        part-time", as I think you have just answered that too?
    55        A.  That is correct.
    56
    57   Q.   Then you see the parenthesis:  "(Mostly women)".  Is that
    58        true of your workforce that they are mostly part-timers and
    59        mostly women or not?
    60        A.  Our workforce is not mostly women; it is about 50-50.

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