Justicia Dignidad

Illustrations of a strawberry and an eagle on a white background within a red border with black text on the top and bottom edges

In 1996, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) took on the strawberry industry via pickets and protest marches.  The UFW wanted to draw attention to the berry pickers’ poor working conditions, low wages, and lack of health insurance.  “Justicia/Dignidad” (Justice/ Dignity) were two of the ideals driving the UFW to organize the strawberry workers.  In March 2001, the UFW and Coastal Berry Co. (the United States’ largest employer of strawberry workers) signed a contract.  The agreement made the company’s employees the best paid workers in California at the time.