Blue Diamond Workers United

About 500 members of M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán) rallied in front of the Blue Diamond Growers plant March 21 during the group's national conference. They also took up chalk and paint to cover the pavement with drawings and messages of support for the Blue Diamond workers' long fight to join ILWU warehouse Local 17. The two blocks leading to the plant's main gate bloomed with solidarity greetings from as far away as Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona.

"M.E.Ch.A.'s motto is 'La unión hace la fuerza,' in unity there is strength," said Steven Payan, a member of M.E.Ch. A. at Woodland Community College and an organizer of the support action. "These workers are part of us. They're people of color, people in the struggle. We know some of them are scared and we want to increase their hope and faith by letting them know we're behind them."

M.E.Ch.A., the nation's largest Chicano student organization, also committed to spread word of the Blue Diamond workers' union fight through its chapters around the country. If Blue Diamond has not agreed to ground rules for a free and fair vote by the group's next national conference, it will consider a boycott.

Blue Diamond did its best to keep the workers from seeing this colorful and energetic show of support. Management closed the plant on Good Friday for the first time in at least 20 years--and sent leads out to scrub the street before workers returned the next day.

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