You’ve got to believe something has gotten into the water up in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota when a proud, farmer-owned
sugar cooperative is locking out the
union. Sugar co-ops and their unions have together built a strong regional industry that is valuable to all concerned. The cooperative’s leadership is risking a great deal in its drive to break the union and for the union, the livelihood of its members hangs in the balance.
Also hanging in the balance is one the few remaining New Deal style farm programs that not only doesn’t cost tax payers an arm and a leg, but has kept markets stable for manufacturers, consumers and
trade with 40 some countries exporting sugar to the United States.
We might ask ourselves, why aren’t all farm programs like this? At one time they were, but after decades of unrelenting attacks from agribusiness, we are left with expensive and ill-conceived programs that don’t really meet our needs. Now even these poor excuses for a safety net are on the chopping block.
The conflict between American Crystal Sugar and its union comes in the midst of a broad campaign against federal farm programs which could lead to the demise of the sugar program. What protected the sugar program all these years was the combined support of farmers and labor for a program based on supply management. When the farmer-owners and the workers turn on each other, the only winners will be the
speculators and
manufacturing sector.
