For several years now, this campus has been besieged with demands that non-union lettuce or teamster lettuce be banished from dormitory dining halls and the EMU. Protesters say the University should purchase only union lettuce — the kind that is picked by the United Farm Workers
in California.
This past week has again witnessed a concentrated effort to eliminate what protesters say is “scab” lettuce from campus. Letters to the Emerald, petitions and leaflets are the essence of the current protests, but the final decision, as always, rests with the University students.
President Robert Clark has said in the past that “individuals should have a freedom of choice within the University.” He says he fears “political” involvement by the University.
The position advanced by Erb Memorial Union officials is simply this: They will order lettuce based on what students buy or consume. These officials work on the supply and demand theory.
Protesters have complained that union lettuce has been unavailable in the dorms and the EMU. Evidently, little union lettuce has been trucked to Oregon in the last few months, and some that arrived has been of bad quality. According to the University, the choice will continue whenever adequate supplies of union lettuce are
made available.
It must be remembered that there are two unions involved, the United Farmworkers and the Teamsters Union. Both hold contracts with the growers in California, but at the moment the Teamsters are in the best position and hold the largest number of contracts. Sometime this spring, however, political and union action in California may tip the balance back to the UFW.
Because of the Teamster influence and interest, and because all lettuce from California is trucked to Oregon Teamsters, it is obvious that UFW lettuce is a low priority item for hauling. What with the gas shortage and frequent truck strikes, the absence of UFW lettuce is quite understandable.
Ultimately, whether UFW or Teamster lettuce is brought and consumed in the dorms and the EMU will be decided by the students themselves. The University is committed to making a choice available and basing orders for lettuce on the amounts previously consumed. Petitions by Protesters demanding UFW lettuce can help, but the real test will be: Are students eating UFW lettuce? And right now, the University can’t even purchase the lettuce with the black eagle on the crate.