PBH Supports Head Lettuce Boycott; UFW Reports 35 Picketers Arrested

The Phillips Brooks House Association Wednesday issued a letter of support for the United Farm Workers boycott of non-UFW lettuce.

Meanwhile, the UFW boycott effort in metropolitan Boston, maintaining the support of four of the five largest area food chains, has been hampered by 35 arrests of workers in the last two months, for picketing and leafletting.

The PBH statement reads in part, "The United Farm Workers are seeking to improve working and living conditions, and bring goals of human dignity into the lives of migrant farmworkers through a non-violent dedication to the principles of justice for all people."

PBH President Amy Schneider said yesterday, "It [support of the boycott] was a very logical thing for us to do; I guess we should have done it a lot earlier."

Schneider, who said a former PBH worker had asked on behalf of the UFW for such a statement, noted that her organization will be sending a copy of the letter to A&P offices "to inform them that we disapprove of their actions."

A&P, the largest metropolitan food chain, has refused to stop selling lettuce grown under International Brotherhood of Teamsters contracts, which the UFW claims are "sweetheart" pacts.

Nick Jones, Boston coordinator of the boycott, yesterday termed the PBH pledge a "little victory." "We build our camp around a whole lot of little things like that," he said.

Jones noted that all the arrests--on trespassing charges--of UFW workers within the last two months have ended in acquittals, except a refusal to rule by a Brockton judge. "We spend half our time in the courts, defending ourselves for things that were established years ago," Jones said.

Purity Supreme, First National, Star Market, and Stop & Shop stores have agreed to sell only UFW-grown head lettuce, when it is available.