They are tired of the abuses and they wanted to go ahead. Ralphs' action is the latest chapter in a long-running UFW campaign to hammer out a contract on behalf of 300 workers at the Pictsweet Mushroom Farm, one of the largest and most successful mushroom operations in the nation. Tennessee-based United Foods Inc. The UFW, however, has continued to represent the workers, trying a number of times over the years to negotiate a new pact before kicking the campaign into high gear earlier this year. Union representatives say they want the company to boost wages, provide dental and vision coverage, and create a pension plan for workers. Company officials have maintained that workers at the Ventura facility already receive wages and benefits comparable to those at other mushroom farms.
Workers also get three weeks of paid vacation and participate in a quarterly profit-sharing plan.
A negotiation session held Monday did little to close the gap between the two sides, UFW organizers said. Frustrated with the pace of negotiations, UFW leaders recently escalated protest activities. They have backed the workers' call for a nationwide boycott of Pictsweet products. In fact, that's how Ralphs officials learned about the labor problems in Ventura, O'Neil said. He said Ralphs' action does not mean that the company favors one side over the other.