DARIGOLD IS STILL NOT LISTENING! (30 seconds of your time will help these workers petition)

[Omaha Steve]

Take action here: http://action.ufw.org/page/s/darigoldpetition



On Monday, close to 200 people gathered in front of Darigold’s headquarters in Seattle. Labor leaders, including the Secretary-Treasurer of the WA State Labor Federation and Michael Beranbaum of the Joint Council of Teamsters, who represents Darigold employees at their processing plants, joined the call for justice for Ruby Ridge workers.

That’s right, Darigold processing plant workers have a union; the workers who milk the cows don’t.

These voices joined those of national religious leaders who called on Darigold in August to take action when they marched to the company’s Portland, OR location.

Yet Darigold remains silent. Instead of coming out to talk, they greeted folks with security guards.

Workers are disappointed with Darigold. As former Ruby Ridge employee Jose Zamora said: One gets there with the hope that they will speak to us and what we see is a bunch of security guards all over the place like if we were to do harm to them. They treat us like criminals.

Still, this event and all the support they received gave them hope for a better tomorrow. Worker Rafael Munoz told us: It was a grand event. A lot of people from different groups; from religious groups and from different unions, there were also student groups. They all went so that Darigold would hear us. No-one from Darigold came out to greet us. By not showing their face they are showing us that they support the mistreatment of workers. We need the support now of the consumer so that our struggle will become even bigger. The more time that passes, the bigger this will become.

Let's make this bigger. We've launched a petition drive. Please add your name to it by clicking the gray "submit form" button on the bottom right. We’ll present the signatures to Darigold shortly before Thanksgiving. Please ask your friends and family to sign as well.


You have heard from religious, labor and community leaders. Tens of thousands of consumers from across the country have also demanded that you take immediate action to resolve the issues facing workers at Ruby Ridge dairy.

Yet your company refuses to take action. Today, I add my voice to this call for justice. Know that with every day that goes by that Darigold does nothing; our voice will only grow stronger.

[AngkorWot]

1. How does Darigold work?

Don't the privately run dairies sell their milk to Darigold, who processes it? Or does Darigold own and operate dairies?

[Omaha Steve]

2. They must own at least a few dairies

Otherwise the action would not be directed at them.

[jmowreader]

3. Darigold is a farmer-owned cooperative

Land O Lakes runs the same way, although I don't know if there's any unionization at Land O Lakes.

So, basically, if you want to cause the farmworkers to unionize on Darigold's farms, and you plan to use protests to do it, you'll have to run about 200 separate protests.

[Luminous Animal]

4. They contract with Ruby Ridge Dairy and the workers there are taking their case to Darigold

to put pressure on Ruby Ridge.

[stevedeshazer]

5. This surprises me as they are more or less a farm co-op outfit.

They've been around a very long time and have a pretty good reputation in the Northwest.

My grandpa was a dairy farmer and sold milk to the Darigold co-op.

I guess things have changed.

Thanks for the info, Steve.

on edit: signed the petition.

Steve in Portland

[Kaleko]

6. Kick

[Mnemosyne]

7. And one more...