Dole Agrees to Meet with Sintraplendor

[Information for this alert comes from U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project]

After much grassroots pressure on Dole Fresh Flowers, the company agreed on Friday, September 16 to address the union's primary demand: the need for contact negotiations. Dole has promised to negotiate in good faith to resolve the issues presented by Sintrasplendor, the independent union at Splendor Flowers plantation in Colombia. Social Accountability Initiative (SAI), of which Dole is a member, will accompany this process to a satisfactory conclusion. This agreement marks a sharp departure from Dole’s previous position that it would not consider negotiations until October 2006 when its current contract with a company union expires.

After consulting with Sintraplendor, the protest against Dole on September 19, outside of a fundraising dinner for SAI at Tavern on the Green attended by Dole executives, was canceled. Instead, representatives of US/LEAP and Campaign for Labor Rights greeted participants in SAI's annual conference in New York City on Monday morning with flowers and letters describing the agreement that had been reached. A representative from Sintrasplendor, Eduardo Parrada Escobar, was also present and attended a portion of the morning session of the SAI conference and later met with Dole officials. He was also interviewed on the Building Bridges show of WBAI New York (99.5 FM); to listen to the archived interview, click here (search for Building Bridges, Sept. 19, 2005 in their index).

Despite this advance, the campaign against Dole will continue until it concludes negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement with Sintrasplendor. The union thanks those who have been supporting them and asks that we continue to do so.

Campaign for Labor Rights and US/LEAP are very happy that talks with Dole have begun and we are optimistic that it will pave the way to obtaining contract negotiations for Sintrasplendor.

For our last alert concerning Sintrasplendor, click here.

More background information.

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