On March 20, 2016 members of the Fresno Brown Berets numbering 7 went to the San Ysidro/ Tijuana border to provide security for marchers from the United States numbering 150 to 200. At the Mexican side were 400 to 500 marchers of an independent farmworker union called Alliance of Organizations for Social Justice. The marchers from the Mexico side walked from San Quintin, Baja California Norte to Tijuana. Both groups meet at the border. The main purpose of the march was to commemorate the one year anniversary of a strike led by farmworkers from San Quintin. They work 10 to 12 hours a day, facing abuses and injustices such as racism, sexism and rape of the women by supervisors. They are requesting elimination of child labor, substandard housing, access to drinkable water and bathrooms and an end to exposure to pesticides.
The workers are asking that Driscoll, the largest marketer of fresh berries in the world, accept responsibility for the inhumane treatment of its workers. They are collectively demanding $20 a day salary and an end to abusive practices and horrible housing conditions. They also want Driscoll and its growers and suppliers in Mexico to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the Alianza workers.
