Jerry Brown Vetoes Farmworkers' Bill

[SHRED]

Gov snubs UFW yet all you hear over the corporate radio and TV is how "liberal" Brown is.
All during the campaign we heard how he was "in the back pocket of organized labor".
Go figure.



BREAKING: Jerry Brown Vetoes Farmworkers' Bill
by Patrick McGreevy & Anthony York‚ Jun. 29‚ 2011
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Ed. Note: This piece was first published in the Los Angeles Times

Despite intense pressure, Brown rejects measure making it easier for laborers to organize. The United Farm Workers vows to continue the campaign.

Gov. Jerry Brown, whose signature more than three decades ago gave agricultural workers the right to unionize by secret ballot, vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have made it easier for farm laborers to organize. The proposal has been the top legislative goal for years for the United Farm Workers, whose founder, Cesar Chavez, had strong ties to Brown. It would have allowed the union to bargain for employees without holding an election — by simply collecting signatures from a majority of workers on cards saying they wanted representation.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed similar measures four times during his seven years in office. Supporters of the latest bill had been hopeful that Brown, a Democrat who often spoke of his relationship with Chavez during his gubernatorial campaign last year, would approve it.

In his veto message Tuesday, Brown cited his work with the union 36 years ago.

"I am not yet convinced that the far-reaching provisions of this bill … are justified," Brown wrote.

Union leaders reacted angrily.

"To us it's a real clear decision," UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said. "This governor has decided to side with the rich against the powerless."

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