Grape Pickers' Strike
United States 1965-1970
Synopsis
During the years before 1965, the agricultural unions—the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) and National Farm Workers Association (NFWA)—sought recognition from grape growers and hoped to enter into contracts by fair negotiations as guaranteed by collective bargaining rights. Because farm laborers were excluded from coverage under the provisions of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, or Wagner Act, they sought to be legally protected in the workplace by unions as were the majority of workers in other industries throughout the United States. The push by union leaders to have farm workers fairly represented and under contract reached its apex after 1965.
With growers' failure to recognize the unions, the California farmworkers initiated a strike against grape growers. These strikes, between 1965 and 1970, ultimately unified the two primary agricultural unions and demonstrated the effective power of boycotts. These actions also publicized to the American public the substandard, often dangerous, working conditions in the fields. In addition to representation and fair wages, the unions sought decent working conditions. These included a ban on pesticide use while workers were in the fields, clean drinking water, and basic health benefits. By the time the strikes were officially halted by the United Farm Workers in 1973, they had also helped to change conditions in the fields for laborers, although significant improvements of working conditions were comparatively slow to come.
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