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UFW

THE MAIL

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I commend The Crimson for its excellent November 12 editorial reminding the Harvard community that the struggle to gain fair representation for agricultural workers is not over. The United Farm Workers' boycott of non-UFW iceberg lettuce and table grapes and Gallo wines will indeed continue until contracts are signed.

Nevertheless, there is one inaccuracy in the editorial that should be corrected. The Crimson stated that "Press accounts of election results in the fields, however, show the Teamsters and the UFW in a near draw among those workers--a sizeable majority--who favor union representation." This "near draw" existed early in the balloting, but a November 11 Associated Press report in The New York Times indicates that the UFW now has nearly a 2 to 1 margin as a result of recent victories (18,000 votes overall for the UFW to 10,000 votes for the Teamsters).

The boycott at Harvard, as well as the national boycott, will persist until these farm workers receive contracts. The H-R UFW support committee, no longer affiliated with NAM and currently picketing Star Market rather than the Harvard Provision Company, continues to give the UFW the support The Crimson editorial calls for. Bancroft R. Poor '78

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