January 22, 2001 AFL-CIO Union Label & Service Trades Department News Release

United Farm Workers End Grape Boycott

Pointing out that many of its goals have been met, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) has called off the 16-year boycott of nonunion California table grapes.

"Cesar Chavez's crusade to eliminate use of five of the most toxic chemicals plaguing farm workers and their families has been largely successful," said UFW President Arturo Rodriguez in announcing the boycott's end.

Three of the pesticides — Dinoseb, parathion and Phosdrin — "are gone," Rodriguez wrote, adding that a fourth, methyl bromide, is scheduled to be banned by the year 2005 and severe restrictions have been placed on use of the fifth, Captan.

Rodriguez made the announcement in a letter to the St. Louis-based National Farm Worker Ministry, an arm of the National Council of Churches.

In addition, he wrote, "it is not fair to ask our supporters to honor a boycott when the union must devote all of its present resources" to organizing and bargaining. In the past six years alone, Rodriguez pointed out, the UFW has won 20 union-representation elections and bargained 24 new or first-time contracts with growers.

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