Picketers took to the corner of Main Street and Broadway in Santa Maria to support workers in Baja California on strike against Driscoll’s, a strawberry producer based in Oxnard. Pedro Reyes, a local social change advocate, said the American-based company exploits workers in another country, calling the system “crazy.” The strike, which started on March 17, is targeting the U.S. based BerryMex, which grows strawberries and raspberries sold under the Driscoll’s label. Farmworkers are asking for higher wages—they currently make around $8 a day—and better working conditions. Reyes said local organizations will also gather to picket outside the Santa Maria Strawberry Festival, coming up at the end of April.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEDRO REYES
This article appears in Apr 9-16, 2015.