On this day in Labor History the year was 1970.
That was the day that the United Farmworkers went out on strike against California lettuce growers.
The UFW had led a successful boycott against grape growers that had drawn national attention to the harsh working conditions and low pay of those who harvested our nation’s food.
In an effort to keep the UFW from organizing lettuce workers, some of the growers had signed contracts with the Teamsters Union.
The UFW argued that these contracts did not represent the workers’ best interests.
As thousands of workers went on strike, Cesar Chavez called for a national boycott of non-union lettuce.
In the lead-up to the strike an estimated 4,000 workers attended a meeting in Salinas, California.
One worker, Antonio Sagredo explained the importance of the action.
The El Malcriado “Voice of the Farmworker, newsletter reported his words, “Let the people and the government of the United States know that we are ready to work—but that we must have what we ask. It isn’t very much. We don’t ask the impossible—only that they look upon us as human beings. We have the same ambitions that they do. We have families. We have rights. Why must they continue to treat us like beasts of burden and look for a thousand ways to bring us down.”
That December Cesar Chavez was jailed for leading the boycott.
Putting pressure on the growers through encouraging the public to boycott non-union harvested food was a key tactic for the farm worker’s movement.
It impacted the bottom line of the growers and moved them to sit down at the bargaining table.
December 8 - The American Federation of Labor is Founded
December 7 - Strong Arming Goldminers
December 6 - Breaking Through the Racial Divide
December 5 - Striking in Solidarity
December 4 - Organizing to End Slavery
December 3 - Learning & Labor at Oberlin
December 2 - 21st Century Corporate Greed
December 1 - Standing Up for Themselves and Their Patients
November 30 - Angel of the Stockyards is Born
November 29 - The Fight for $15 & A Union
November 28 - Disaster in the Mines
November 27 - Death Trap in Newark
November 26 - The Birth of William Sylvis
November 25 - Chicago Printers Walk Off the Job
November 24 - The Hollywood Ten
November 23 - The Thibodaux Massacre
November 22 - Uprising of the 20,000
November 21 - Autoworkers Join the Postwar Strike Wave
November 20 - Birth of the Time Clock
November 19 - Joe Hill’s Final Words
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast