By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Workers at J&G Berry Farms in Santa Maria who are demanding a pay increase have gone on strike. [KSBY]

The striking workers say they currently make $2.10 per box of strawberries. They are asking for a raise to $3.50 a box.

Farmworker Rosalina Sebastian said she has not received a pay increase while working for J&G Berry Farms over the past five years. The pay is not enough for food, and rent is expensive, and gas is going high, Sebastian said. 

Some striking workers met with the owners of J&G Berry Farms on Tuesday. The company offered a five-cent pay increase, which the workers collectively rejected, they said.

The Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project and the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy are both supporting the striking workers.