In February of this year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Sharon Runner to head the Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) in California. The ALRB was created in 1975 in California to “ensure peace in the fields of California by guaranteeing justice for all agricultural workers and stability in agricultural labor relations.” (from ALRB website). The United Farm Workers union immediately opposed Runner’s nomination to the ALRB based on her previous voting record as a assemblymember of the California State Legislature against every major bill presented in the past six years that would have improved conditions for farm workers in California’s fields. The UFW launched an email campaign during the first week of March calling on its supporters to contact their state representatives and ask that Runner not be approved as the Governor’s appointee. Thousands of supporters participated in the campaign and their voices were heard! On Friday, March 27, Sharon Runner stepped down as the nominee to the ALRB. “The agricultural labor law is designed to protect farmworkers, and people who have consistently voted against farmworkers have no business sitting on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board”, said Maria Machuca, a UFW spokeswoman.
