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HARLINGEN lt;AP» - The 1%7 melon crop is the best In the history of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and thefarm labor union movement in Starr County has become a farce. a Valley agriculture leader said Thursday.Willis Detnes, executive vice president of the Texas Citrus and Vegetable Shippers and Growers Association, made that statement concerning the union It was immediately challenged by a national officer of the union.Gilbert Padilla. vice president of the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, said he would challenge La Casita Farms to a supervised election if farm leaders feel the union does not have support of theworkers.Detnes said in a news release and in an Interview that the union claims 3.noomembers in Starr County but•*could muster less than 150 to attend its recent rally in Rio Grande City to protest the presence of the TexasRangers.Padilla said attendance at the rally was slim because union members were afraid of what the Rangers might doDeinei said prices have been very good” and estimated the value of this years cantaloupe and honeydew melon crop at I million.With the harvest due to end In about two weeks, Detnes reported 2,132 carloads of cantaloupes have been shipped from the four counties of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.He said M3 carloads of the cantaloupes and most of thehoneydew melons shipped out of the Valley came from Starr County.This section’s Ideal weatherduring both the growing end harvest seasons and some cold weather in other melon producing states, Dei net said, contributed to the success of the valley crop. He aaid California and Arizona melons were delayed by cold weather.♦ ♦ ♦ALICE, Tax. (AP - La Casita Farms end theMieeourl Pacific Railroad aska district judge today to ordera farm labor union topermanently haft picketingoperations in Starr County.A temporary restrainingorder has been issued in each of the cases.A hearing on an injunction request field by the railroad is slated to he held at 1 p m. today in 79th District Court, said Diat. Judge C. Woodrow Laughlin.The railroad contends It is not involved in a labor dispute with the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee. AFL-CIO, and said in the injunction requestthat union picketing has cost the railroad a large sum of money because extra personnel were required to protect the melon and vegetable shipments Union picket* in the past six weeks have been stationed at times along the railroad track at Mission, Rio Grande City. Alamo and Harlingen.La Casita. the largest farm in Starr County, seeks theinjunction on the claim that none of its employes are members of the union La Casita, the largest farm in Starr County, has heen the principal target in theCalifornia-based union s yearlong organizational drive in the border rounfverOne injunction against picketing, requested last June by Ia Cask* And granted by Judge Laughlin, is already inforceChris Dixie, a Houston lawyer. and Doran Williams,w ~a union lawyer, are to represent the union at today's hearings 1a Casita Farms is represented by McAllen lawyer Morns Atlas.weStarr Countv has been the ----*Fscene of a year-long labor dispute The union seek* a il 25 an hour minimum wage and union contracts for field hands and contends that they are paid lea* than 11 an hour.La Caaita official* sav their workers are paid at least tl an hour and farm VicePresident and GeneralManager Ray Rochester said hi* employe* are notinterested in this or anv other union.M
Newspaper Details
Galveston News
Galveston, Texas, US
Fri, Jun 16, 1967
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Del M.
Texas, USA 26 Feb 2019
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