State police guardALRBafter new UFW picketing

labor board, said the Chavez union hasbeen unable to produce ariy proofAgrupacion Independiente de Traba­jado!'es. the Royal employes group, iscompany-backed.

He said he told the State Police toallow Chavez and his up to liO backers,who chanted and sang Spanish-languagesongs, to remain at the San Diego officeas long as they wished, so long as therewasn't vandalism. as police said preced­ed the El Centro arrests.

"Lopez preferred to maintain thepeace," Sgt. Singer explained this mor­ning, referring to Wednesday night'sdemonstration.

Although there were no incidentsSee ALRB, page %

"The Agricultural Labor RelationsBoard is an independent agency andmade no request of this office forguidance in making their decision " saidGray Davis, the Brown spokesma~.

Earlier, Chavez said he intended to"invite arrest" with the demonstrationand would stay at the office "one day,two days, a week or a year, if we haveto. to get some answers...

Faced with a lack of anyone in authori­ty, the sit-in ended five hours later._ The United Farm Workers promisedtl) bombard Gov. Brown with telephonecomplaints today over the arrests andthe election.

Harry Delizonna, counsel for the farm

State~ is a dl1Ui~ of the stateDepartment of General Service•. "Weare assigned to sensitive areas," saidSgt. R.A.. Singer. Most can be foundworking in Sacramento, but there arebranch offices in major cities. There areonly 500 state policemen. -

Tuesday was the first time the specialpolice were used by the Brown Ad­ministration to make arrests.

Gov. Brown is under heavy criticismby the union because of the "police statetactics...

Cesar Chavez conducted a five-hoursit-in Wednesday at the ALRB office inSan Diego.

The mass arrests in EI Centro alsotouched off UFW demonstrations atALRB offices in Sacramento, Coachello,Salinas, Oxnard and Fresno.

ABrown aide said Wednesday that thegovernor knew nothing prior to thearrests. .

By JOHN NUNESStiff writer

California State Police C'ontinut' to:nard the Agricultural Labor Relations~rd office and its employes today In

~l Centro as the United Farm Workerslrotest of the state farm labor agencynoved into its fourth day this morning.

About 70 UFW shouting, jeering'sup­Klrters picketed in front of the state of­'ice, at 582 State St., from 2 to 7:30 p.m..Nednesday.

This morning, six demonstrat.ors.~rrying UFW flags, continued the vigU.

No one has been arrested since @enass booking on Tuesday. In fact, lawmforcement sources said the ALRB toldltate police not to arrest anyone, despiteI court order that limits UFW to 10 per­IonS at one time in the office.

About 5 p.m., Fred Lopez, ALRB of­!ice director, allowed 20 picketers in­lide.

They discussed today's election being=onducted by the ALRB in Calexico,Winterhaven and Huron. It is for aboutlOO farm laborers employed by RoyalPacking, a Salinas-based produce firm.,

The UFW is protesting the ALRB s1ecision to allow a Royal employes~roup to petition flJr the electi~. To~over itself, however, the UFW filed toI>e placed on the ballot.. .,

State police were stationed inSide and~utside the building during t~edemonstration Wednesday. The specialpolice force was aided. by sheriff'sdeputies and EI Centro pollee, but not on

"'h'I"~I<M·PERIAL VALLEY PRESSServinf! Thp Val/pl' SinN /9()/

q>enel \ahd). ~res~' Thl.l "dav March 3. 1977

UNDER PRESSURE - ALRB employes try to goabout their buslnellS Wednesday while about 70 UFWsupporters picket outside. On Monday and Tuesday.

the demonstrators came inside the office and alleged­ly physically and verbally abused the workers.

down the firm's operations inSalinas if the UFW ended uprepresenting its workers.

Then in December inImperial Valley, an employesgroup - reportedly not af­filiated with the newemployes group - tried andfailed to petition for an elec­tion. The ALRB ruled it wasnot a bona fide union.

About two weeks later, theTeamsters' attempt to un­ionize the Imperial Valleyranch was thwarted as ALRBinvestigators found that theTeamsters forged electionauthorization cards.

And, about a week later, theUFW failed to gain enoughsupport at the Valley 'ranch topetition for an election.

Farm labor unions havebeen trying to unionize RoyalPacking since the state farmlabor law became effective inthe summer of 1975.

On Sept. 12, 1975, the UFWwon an ALRB-eonducted elec­tion at Royal Packing inSalinas.

But the Chavez union wonby only four votes over theTeamsters Union and therewere enough ballots challeng­ed to warrant a runoff.

On Sept. 25, 1975, theTeamsters won the runoffelection.

The election was thrown outby the ALRB in February 1976on charges by the UFW that amember of Royal Packingmanagement, before therunoff, threatened to shut

(Continued from page 1)Wednesday, tension-was high.

At least two ALRBemployes, both female, wereseen being escorted from the

I building by state police. Theyexited through a side door,away from the-picketing.

The state police crossed~tate Street with them andtook them to their cars.

The special police expect toremain guarding the state of­[Ice until today's election is·,\er. Polls close at 6p.m. and'Ie votes will be counted

at;6ut 7 p.m. in the ImperialIrrigation District auditoriumin EI Centro.

The state police have notbeen asked to stand guard atthe poll.' (II' the vote count,S.-.ld.

f ALRB'office guardedr -

rnew demonstration

....j ";. "-"-:-r--_.

UFW SIT·IN - United Farm Workers President CesarChavez (in checkered shirt) links hands with sup­porters during a demonstration Wednesday at thestate Agriculturai Labor Relations Board office in San

,-i 'at

Diego. The mass arrests of union picketers by Califor·nia State Pollee in EI Centro Tuesday touched offdemonstrations throughout the state.

(AP Wirephoto)

IN EL CENTRO - UFW demonstrators crowd intothe ALRB office in EI Centro Wednesday to meet withFred Lopez (facing them) director of the office. Theydemanded to know why an employes group was allow·

eel on today's ballot for employes of Royal Packing tovote for the union or no union of their choice. Tuesday,state police arrested 28 UFW demonstrators at the 0.(.fice. (Staff photo by Kenneth Foruey.):