African Activist Archive

The mailing advertises a meeting of the Committee for International Support of Trade Union Rights at San Mateo Central Labor Council on September 18. The mailing contains language of a resolution and language to add to union agreements about ending trade with South Africa. The campaign to stop trade with South Africa has been impeded by employers' policies of not putting "made in South Africa" on the labels or cartons of goods. A newspaper of the Alameda Central Labor Council reports in "The fruits of apartheid" that Del Monte has been identified as a large importer of South African products. Once, all Del Monte canned fruit was produced in California; now, because contents are coming from South Africa, many of their former California employees, or potential employees, are unemployed. The mailing addresses workers in the food markets, institutions that purchase Del Monte products (such as hospitals, company cafeterias etc.), and restaurants and hotels. Unions should try to persuade the employer to stop buying Del Monte; if this fails, employees should consider individual action after the union has adopted the enclosed resolution. The mailing does not call for a consumer boycott of Del Monte, but we think it makes sense for individual unions to do so. The mailing includes a leaflet "In Support of the Philippine Workers' Movement" advertising a speaking tour and reception and other events about Meynardo Palarca, a representative of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). The KMU tour is sponsored by the Philippine Labor Campaign Committee composed of the U.S.-Canada-wide Alliance for Philippine Concerns (APC), Berkeley-based Philippine Resource Center (PRC), Philippine Workers' Support Committee (PWSC) and Friends of the Filipino People (FFP). The mailing mentions the South Africa Preserving Company, Brotherhood of Teamsters, Yuba City, canned fruit, a Geneva conference, the world labor movement, Monarch Institutional Foods in Brisbane, Continental Avard in Union City, ESCO in West Sacramento, Alex Foods in Anaheim, and institutional labels.

African Activist Archive

[Dear Sisters and Brothers: It is our suggestion that your organization should adopt the enclosed resolution on Trade with South Africa.]

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