WWU Students for

Farmworker Justice
Media Kit

Rachel Loofburrow
Genevieve Carrillo
Connor Hanna

!1

Table of Contents
Logo and tagline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Media Backgrounder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Top Ten FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Feature Pitch Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Radio PSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Media Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Club photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

!2

WWU Students for Farmworker Justice Logo and

Tagline

Standing with farmworkers.

Standing for justice

!3

WWU Students for Farmworker

Justice Media Backgrounder
Press contact: Kathryn Durning

wwuboycottcommittee@gmail.com

Phone: 360.619.8850

Overview Section: The club is an Associated Students club that serves as

a boycott committee in support of farmworker rights. The club formed in
response to a call for support from the farmworkers of Sakuma Bros. through
their union, Familias Unidas por la Justicia (Families United for Justice) in fall of
2014. The Sakuma Bros. is one of the largest berry growers in the Pacific
Northwest region located in Burlington, WA. The main goal of the farm workers
is to secure a contract that guarantees fair wages and better treatment.
Students and workers join together in solidarity in order to achieve this main
goal and also to educate the community about farm labor issues.

Current Activities:
The club does consistent picketing at local grocers that have
Sakuma berry products sold at their businesses

The club participates in an on-going Driscolls boycott campaign

because Sakuma distributes berries to the company

The club has organized a farm worker panel event coming up

on April 30 for students to speak directly with farm workers

The club will be participating in the March for Dignity event

taking place from Lynden to Bellingham in Whatcom on May 3

Key Terms:
Farmworker- A person who works in agriculture or a related industry
such as food processing

Migrant farmworker- Someone who moves from community to

community, usually based on season and job availability

Seasonal farmworker- Someone who lives in one community year

round

Guest worker- The national H-2A guest-workers program is used to

bring legal workers into the U.S.

!4

Facts:
LocalThe Sakuma Brothers Farms Background Sakuma Brothers Farms is an 85-year-old family business run
by the fourth generation of the Sakuma family. (Sakuma Berry
Farm Facts, 2015)
The second generation in 1935 moved from Bainbridge Island
to the Skagit valley to begin farming strawberries. The family
diversified their business to include raspberries, blueberries,
blackberries and apples. (Sakuma Berry Farm Facts, 2015)
The company has grown to include a plant nursery, a
processing facility, a farmers market and a sales department.
(Sakuma Berry Farm Facts, 2015)
The Sakuma Farmworkers Struggle The Sakuma workers had concerns over farm housing, sought
overtime pay which is not required by law, wanted adequate
child care, had grievances over cultural conflicts and wanted a
change to the way their wages were calculated. (Seattle Times,
2013)

A core issue for farmworkers at Sakuma has been the arrival of

guest workers, mostly from Mexico, which was used for the first
time that Sakuma or any Western Washington fruit grower will
have used it. (Seattle Times, 2013)

In June, owner Steve Sakuma settled a suit(the largest farm

worker settlement in state history) agreeing to pay $500,000 to
1,2000 workers in a class-action lawsuit over pounds of berries
that workers claimed they were not paid for. (Seattle Globalist,
2015)

Farmers must pick 320 pounds a day but many farmworkers

arent able to pick more than 150 pounds, at 30 cents a pound.
(Seattle Globalist, 2015)

A boycott against Sakuma protest at the Bellingham

Community Food Co-op occurred Feb. 25, 2015. The farm
!5

workers of Sakuma Farms planned the protest to encourage

the Co-op to continue their boycott against Sakuma until they
have a contract. (Western Front, 2015)

Regional The Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC)is

increasingly concerned about race and national discrimination
against farmworkers in relation to housing. (WSHRC, 2007) The
following are facts they provide.

o The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD) says some of the most severe farmworker housing
issues are in the Pacific Northwest and Florida

o Housing discrimination is prevalent against Hispanic

families

o It is becoming dicult for non-profit agencies to find

locations to build farmworker housing

o There are many types of farm work in Washington State

including cherry, apple, asparagus, and other fruits and
vegetables in Eastern and Central Washington, fruit and
vegetable packing houses, floral harvesting (such as
tulips) in the Skagit Valley, forestry work in Western
Washington and aquaculture farming which includes the
harvesting of oysters and other shellfish in Western
Washington

The Department of Employment Security (DES) estimated that

Washington State has a peak of 90,000 migrant workers over
the course of the summer and fall, when pruning and harvesting
take place. (News America Media, 2013)

The right of farmworkers to organize into unions in Washington

is not as protected as it is in California under that states
Agriculture Labor Act. (News America Media, 2013)

National The national non-profit organization called Farmworker Justice

seeks to empower migrant and seasonal farmworkers to
improve their living and working conditions, immigration status,
health, occupational safety and access to justice. It is based in
!6

Washington D.C. and was founded in 1981. (Farmworker

Justice, 2015) The following are facts they provide.

o As many as 70% or more of farmworkers are

undocumented

o Seventy-six perfect of all farmworkers identify as Latino/

Hispanic with Spanish being the most dominant language
for 70% of all farmworkers, 57% of them speaking little
(30%) or no (27%) English

o Seventy-six perfect of all farmworkers are men

o The average total individual income is $15,000-$17,499,

this figure may include income earned from jobs outside
of agriculture

United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) started the International Convention on the
Protection of the Rights of All migrant Workers and Members of
Their Families in 2003. The objective of the convention is to
protect migrant workers and their families from exploitation of
their human rights. (UNESCO, 2014) They list the following
rights.

o Migrant workers have the right to be temporarily absent

for reasons of family needs and obligation without eect
on their authorization to stay or work.

o They should have the right to move freely in the territory

of the state of employment and they should be able to
choose where they wish to reside.

o Migrant workers should be ensured due process and

must be provided with necessary legal assistance,
interpreters and information in their language.

o Migrant workers are to be treated as equal to the

nationals of the host country in respect of remuneration
and conditions of work (overtime, hours of work, weekly
rest, holidays with pay, safety, health, termination of work
contract, minimum age, restrictions on home work, etc).

!7

Short Bios:
Andrew Eckels, a committee leader, is a senior at Fairhaven College
studying social movements. He is passionate about social justice
issues and got involved after learning from the farm workers what
was happening at Sakuma Brothers. They asked him to support the
struggle. For him, it is one of the most important social movements
in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: wwuboycottcomittee@gmail.com

Kathryn Durning, a committee leader, is a junior at Fairhaven College

with a concentration in Law, Diversity and Justice: cultural and social
borders in the United States. Durning became part of the club after
the call to action from the farm workers of Familias Unidas por la
Justicia. She supports justice and dignity for all people.

Contact: kathryndurning@gmail.com

Raichle Dunkeld, a committee leader, is a first-year Fairhaven

student who is currently undecided with a focus on environmental
advocacy. She became a part of the club last January after an event
was held. She believes in the rights of undocumented workers and
believes that working in solidarity to create a union contract is an
achievable and meaningful goal.

Contact: raichledunkeld@gmail.com

Boilerplate: Western Washington University Students for Farm

worker Justice was founded in 2014 after students were asked to
join in solidarity with the farm workers of Sakuma Bros in Skagit
County, Washington. This Associated Students club, which is
dedicated to the support and assistance of the farm workers and
raising awareness about local farm worker issues, meets once a
week on Thursdays in the Humanities building on WWUs campus.
The committee is non-hierarchical with no ocial titles in place.

http://boycottsakumaberries.com/

Sources
About Farmwoker Justice. Farmworker Justice.

http://www.farmworkerjustice.org/about-farmworker-justice

!8

Becker, Christina. Students for Farm Worker Justice stage protest.

The Western Front. 2015.

http://www.westernfrontonline.net/news/news_photo/
article_1afe1ed4-be45-11e4-a8b2-4f4e9e0310da.html

Brenman, Marc. Farmworkers Deserve Discrimination FreeHousing. Washington State Human Rights Commission Executive
Director. 2007.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/exec/civilrights/documents/
farmworker.ashx?la=en

Familias Unidas por la Justicia. Boycott Sakuma Berries. 2015.

http://boycottsakumaberries.com/how-you-can-walk-with-familiasunidas-por-la-justicia/

International Migration Convention. UNESCO. 2014.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/
international-migration/international-migration-convention/

Randall, Rebecca. What can Sakuma workers on strike learn from

Food Chains?Seattle Globalist. 2015.

http://seattleglobalist.com/2015/01/02/can-sakuma-workers-strikelearn-food-chains/31979

Sakuma Brothers Berry Farms. Sakuma Bros. 2015.

http://sakumafacts.com/about/

Turnbull, Lornet and Boiko-Weyrauch, Anna. Striking farmworkes

afraid of guest-worker program. Seattle Times. 2013.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/striking-farmworkersafraid-of-guest-worker-program/

Holmes, Seth. What we Learn From the Indigenous Farmworker

Strike in Pac. Northwest. News American Media. 2013.

http://newamericamedia.org/2013/07/what-we-learn-from-theindigenous-farmworker-strike-in-pac-northwest.php

!9

!10

WWU Students for Farmworker Justice

Top Ten Frequently Asked Questions:
1. When and where do you meet?
The club meets every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Humanities 103

2. What does the club support?

WWU Students for Farmworker Justice is a nonprofit WWU Associated
Students club partnered with Familias Unidas por la Justicia and
Community to Community in support of farm workers and their fight for
just labor conditions.

3. How can I get involved?

Attend weekly meetings regularly and support the club at their o-campus
events such as picket lines.

3. Who is the club president?

SFWJ is a horizontally-led club where there is no clear and elected
leadership. The club is led by the combined eort of all the students
together.

5. How does the club help Whatcom County Farmers?

The committee has been organizing year-round rallies, helping to fundraise
for Community to Community, and raising awareness by hosting events
such as movie showing, informal presentations and relationship-building
with Whatcom County farm workers.

6. Who are the Familias Unidas por la Justicia?

According to their Facebook page, Familias Unidas por la Justicia is
made up of over 300 indigenous migrant farmworker families who
launched a boycott in order to secure a contract with their employer,
Sakuma Bros. Farm.

7. What is wrong with the Sakuma Brothers Berry Farm?

!11

The farm pays migrant workers only 30 cents-per-pound of berries

picked. After eight hours of harvesting, the farm workers typically end up
with $25 to $65, depending on experience.

8. How can I help boycott Sakuma Berries?

Avoid buying products such as berries and ice cream using berries from
the Sakuma Brothers farm. Local grocery stores that support the Sakuma
Berries boycott include Terra Organica, on Cornwall Avenue, and the
Bellingham Co-op located downtown and in Cordata.

9. How many members are involved?

Up to 150 WWU students have shown up to o-campus rallies and picket
lines.

10. Who do I contact to join?

WWUboycottcommittee@gmail.com

!12

Subject: Recipient of WWU Adventure Learning Grant seeks justice

Dear Maddie Takata and Heidi DeHart,
Some students grew up watching cartoons and playing in pillow forts. Western
Washington University student Kathryn Durning grew up surrounded by a family
passionate about social justice.
Durning, a WWU junior in Fairhaven College, is one of the leaders of Western Students
for Farmworker Justice, an Associate Students club that organizes rallies, picket lines
and information sessions to spread the word about unfair labor practices. Her personal
experiences, specifically from growing up surrounded by family members, who were
passionate in making a dierence, have given her the drive to pursue justice for the
farmworkers in Whatcom County and Skagit Valley.

Durning is 2015s recipient of the Fairhaven College Adventure Learning grant. This
grant is a $15,000 stipend awarded annually to each of two Fairhaven students so that
they may travel abroad to enrich their education with intellectual risk, challenge and
adventure, according to the Fairhaven College website.

With this grant, Durning hopes to spend 10 months in Nicaragua and Costa Rica
working on an oral history project and hearing the stories of queer migrant workers and
the struggles they have overcome.

As a part of this club, Durning wants to shed some light on the issues farmworkers in
Washington State face, specifically the ones at the Sakuma Bros farm. Currently,
Durning is adament about getting WWU to end their support of the Sakuma Bros farm
in the dining halls. WWU buys all their berries from Driscolls, a company who gets their
supply from Sakuma in Skagit Valley. By purchasing these berries, they are giving their
support to a company who underpays and overworks their workers. The University of
Washington has already put a stop to purchasing berries picked at the Sakuma Bros
farm; Durning wants to see if WWU can too.

Potential interviews include Fairhaven faculty professor John Tuxill, who approved
Durnings proposal for the Adventure Learning Grant. Additionally, WWU junior Andrew
Eckels has been leading the WSFJ alongside Durning for a year, and would be a
knowledgeable source.

A media backgrounder on WSFJ has been attached to this email providing further
information on the organization and its members. Their Facebook page is
www.facebook.com/WWUstudentsforfarmworkerjustice.

All club members can be reached through: WWUBoycottCommittee@gmail.com

!13

May 5, 2015 - For Immediate Release

boycottsakumaberries.com
WWU Students for Farmworker Justice (WSFJ) Script
30 sec. Radio PSA
Its important for employees to be treated with respect by their employers. [pause]
Sakuma Brothers Farms do not see the importance of this and their employees have had
enough.
Join Western Students for Farmworker Justice and get these workers the treatment they
deserve. You can work side-by-side with these hardworking individuals in their fight for
respect from their own employer.
Anyone can join and make a difference for these workers and their families. Get involved
at boycott Sakuma berries dot com. Lets fight for farmworkers.
Tagline: Lets fight for farmworkers.
SoundCloud link: https://soundcloud.com/connor-hanna-1/wsfj-radio-psa/s-qwywh

!14

Media Articles

Story continued:
http://www.westernfrontonline.net/news/news_photo/article_1afe1ed4-be45-11e4a8b2-4f4e9e0310da.html

Story continued:

!15

http://www.westernfrontonline.net/news/article_feabd8c2-a2a9-11e4-bdbfbbc06f4ac2ad.html

!16

Club group photo

Club and Community picket line

!17

Kathryn Durning (pictured right) with other club members

Andrew Eckles using megaphone at on-campus rally

!18