Flower pickers ‘decided things had to change’

Trabajadores de las Flores reaches agreement with Washington Bulb Co. to improve workers’ health and safety

The following is from Familias Unidas por la Justicia regarding the three-day strike of flower workers in Skagit County:

MT. VERNON, Wash. (April 4, 2022) — On Wednesday, March 30, just two days before the opening of the 2022 Tulip Festival, workers at Washington Bulb Co. reached an agreement with the company. Trabajadores de las Flores, a committee that was elected by flower pickers at Washington Bulb signed the agreement with the company to ensure worker health and safety and a process to continue discussions about improving working conditions moving forward.

Tomas Ramon, farmworker and committee member for Trabajadores de las Flores, on the morning the strike began.

“Cutting daffodils and tulips has always been a hard job,” said farmworker Tomas Ramon. “This year we stopped enduring problems and decided things had to change.”

Familias Unidas por la Justicia was present during negotiations and assisted the committee.

The negotiations took place in good faith and the farmworkers appreciated the company’s willingness to listen to the committee. While the agreement signed is not a collective bargaining agreement, it still holds significant importance for the fieldworkers.

All eight elected committee members with Trabajadores de las Flores signed the agreement. Both parties wanted to address concerns and find a resolution for this season’s issues as well as continuing to have good faith communications into next season.

“We hope people come and support the festivities of the tulip festival,” said Familias Unidas por la Justicia’s political director, Edgar Franks. “Now this year hopefully workers will also get to enjoy what their labor produces.”

Familias Unidas por la Justicia will hold a march in support of farmworkers, Marcha Campesina, on Sunday, May 1 at 9 a.m. in Mt. Vernon. For more information, follow FUJ’s Facebook page.