On this day in Labor History the year was 1970.
That was the day the United Farm Workers, led by Cesar Chavez, signed their first union contract in California.
It was a milestone victory for agricultural workers.
Farm workers, often Mexican immigrants, had very strenuous working conditions.
They worked long hours in the fields for extreme poverty wages.
In the event that housing was provided it was often unsanitary and of very poor quality.
Filipino organizers sought to improve conditions for agricultural workers.
After the U.S. colonized the Philippines, many Filipinos were recruited to work on California farms.
They began organizing as early as the 1930s forming the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee
The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee reached prominence by the 1950s.
At the same time, Mexican American, Cesar Chavez along with Delores Huerta founded the National Farm Workers Association to organize the Mexican workers who were increasingly dominating the labor force in the fields.
The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee went on strike against the grape growers near Delano, California.
Their goal was to get a raise of twenty cents per hour.
When the owners refused to negotiate, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee reached out to Chavez.
The two groups merged to create the United Farm Workers.
The United Farm Workers Union was able to get the support of many in the public through a boycott of California grapes.
While the boycott lasted some five years, grape growers received considerably negative press and suffered financially.
As a result, on July 29, 1970, growers agreed to a contract with the United Farm Workers, the first such agreement in farm labor history.
So the next time you’re enjoying those tasty grapes think about the workers and their brave efforts to unionize farm workers!
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Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show