200 Attend Rally for Strawberry Pickers
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More than 200 people listened to speeches by actor Martin Sheen and officials of the United Farm Workers on Wednesday while demonstrating on Wilshire Boulevard in support of union efforts to organize strawberry pickers.
The four-hour demonstration was held to call attention to an organizing campaign aimed at strawberry growers, primarily in Northern California. Demonstrators said strawberry pickers earn about $8,500 during an eight-month season, with many laboring 10 hours a day, six days a week.
“If consumers paid 5 cents more per basket [of strawberries], the workers salaries would increase by 50%,” UFW spokeswoman Joycelyn Sherman said.
The demonstration took place without incident, police said.
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