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mee Six people from Michigan made up the COMa Task Force that traveled to the Coachella Velley to understand the full implications of the Teamster-United Farm Worker dispute. The members of the Tesk Force were the following: Rev. Peter Dougherty, Catholic Campus Ministry, Eastern Michigan University; Pamela Lemerand, student, Wayne State Univer- sity; Sr. Joan Tirak, Catholic Campus Ministry, Eastern Michigan University; Stephanie Dabrowski, student, Wayne State University; Marie Parker, student, Eastern Michigan University; Rev. Rey- nard Kinkel, Catholic Campus Ministry, Wayne State University. On April 15, 1973, the Teamsters Union announced that it signed con- tracts with a majority of the table grape growers in the Coschelles Valley (California). These growers produce 85% of the valley's table grapes. For the pest three years these growers had been under contract with Cesar Chavez' United Farm Workers' Union. One of the first goals of our Task Force was to find out why the UFW was dumped and why the Team- sters were able to move in and take over es the field workers' representative. Beginning of the Story Lest December at a convention of the American Farm Bureau, Teamster Pres. Frank Fitzsimmons proposed an alliance between organized labor and agribusiness to fight Chavez and "his revolutionaries" (NEWSWEEK, May 21, 1973). Incidentally, the Chavez-led UFW is 30,000 members strong. Within months the Teamsters turned their attention to the teble grape ogrow- ers of California. Since this is s $200 millicn dollar a year industry, one can understand why the leamsters would head in this direction. For an overview as to where the tabl: grape vineyards are in Californie, this three part division seems helpful: A) Coachella Valley 10% of grape indus. B) Arvin-Lemont 30% of grape indus. C) Delano 60% of grape indus. The UFW has called strikes in the Coa- chella Valley end the Arvin-Lamont 6rea since most of the growers in these plece have signed with the Teamsters. Right nz almost 40% of the table grape industry has signed up with the Teamsters; con- tracts in the Delano area dc not expire until the end of July, 1973. At first the Teamsters concentrated o southern California's Coachelle Valley. With the UFW contract due to expire on April 14, 1973, Teamster organizers went into the fields end by March 1, 1973, they proclaimed to the grovers that they had more than 4,100 signatures of field workers who claimed they wanted to be represented by the Teamsters. They were saying, in effect, that they "decerti-~ fied" the UFW union and established them selves (Teamsters) as the farm workers! representative in the table grape indus- try. Some Problems with the Teamster Claims Because of the above there sre some Serious problems with the latest Team- ster move against the UF. A. There are serious questions ebout the legitimacy and authenticity of the sig- natures gathered by the Teamstere. NEWUS- WEEK's Peter Greenberg (Mey 21, 1273) Giscovered upon examiniro ‘he signatures that many were remarkably similar. The UFW legal department is tekin tions under oath from m Nemes apnear on the T