Pickle Exec Bryan Calls Prism to Take Issue

Responding to our September issue, CEO Bill Bryan of Mt. Olive Pickle Company called the Prism's voice-mail to express his concern about aspects of Michael Steinberg's article "Farm workers win early legal battle." Steinberg returned Bryan's call. Bryan expressed concern to Steinberg that the article did not make explicit that Rainbow Farms, the location of the story's confrontation about the right of farm workers to have visitors, does not grow cucumbers for Mt. Olive Pickle Company. Bryan also pointed out that although Farm Labor Organizing Committee President Baldemar Velasquez is quoted as saying, "Mount Olive Pickle Company has an immediate interest in the exclusion of visitors from H2-A [federally-sponsored] workers," Mount Olive has taken no position on the practice by some farmers of excluding visitors to migrant worker camps. Steinberg, on behalf of the paper, invited Bryan to write to the Prism.

David Kirsh of the Prism commented, "It's good to see that Bill Bryan is open to talking things over with various people. Perhaps this is a favorable indication that he's willing to talk directly with Baldemar Velasquez and FLOC." Mount Olive and FLOC are currently headed towards a major fight over farm workers' right to organize for better working conditions.