Lettuce Workers Strike Over Pay Guide Dispute
Harvest of up to 30 percent of the nationÛªs iceberg lettuce has been i halted by a United Farm WorkersÛª strike prompted by growersÛª adherence to the Carter administrationÛªs anti-inflation wage guidelines.</br></br>But there is disagreement over whether the guidelines apply in the case of low-paid lettuce workers and a possibility that the dispute, if protracted and coupled with more bad weather over the California lettuce fields, could lead to higher lettuce prices.</br></br>Contending they are covered by the guidelines, which seek to limit annual wage increases to 7 percent, the growers have restricted their money offers for each of the next three years to 7 percent across the board.</br></br>The UFW argues that 55 to 60 percent of tlie lettuce workers earn less than $4 an hour and are thus exempt from its piÛªovisions. Moreover, the union rejects the voluntary guidelines as unfair and is seeking wage increases amounting to about 40 percent over the next three years.</br></br>Negotiators for the two sides are sharply split, and last Monday more than 1,600 members of the union struck five large farms in CaliforniaÛªs Imperial Valley. The farms reportedly produce between 20 and 30 percent of the nationÛªs winter iceberg lettuce crop.