Tulip, daffodil farmworkers strike over wages, conditions

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — A group of Washington state tulip and daffodil farm workers have gone on strike to demand that the Washington Bulb Company improve wages and health and safety protocols. News outlets reports the strike comes just ahead of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, one of the area’s main tourist attractions that starts April 1. Washington Bulb Company is owned by RoozenGaarde Flowers and Bulbs, one of the largest employers in the Skagit Valley north of Seattle. Owner Brent Roozen says the strike will not impact the festival. He says the company has a “long history of positive working relationships” with workers and called the strike upsetting.