Causes for the Strike
"It is tragic that these men have not yet come to understand that we are in a new age, a new era, that no longer can a couple of white men sit together and write the destinies of all of the Chicanos and Filipino workers in this valley."
~Cesar Chavez to growers and Teamsters officials
~Cesar Chavez to growers and Teamsters officials
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union infamous for strong-armed tactics, contradicted Cesar Chavez's personal ideals and served as frustrating opposition to the UFW.
Reports of Teamsters violence on UFW members: El Malcriado leaflet, 1966
“Teamster contracts are like pieces of paper without meaning...the Teamsters have turned the fate of farm workers over to labor contractors, who have for generations exploited farm workers for their own economic benefit...[and] have not tried to organize and represent farm workers.”
~Chris Hartmire, Director of Migrant Ministry (1973)
~Chris Hartmire, Director of Migrant Ministry (1973)
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Following the Grape Boycott victory, growers in California began signing "sweetheart contracts" with the Teamsters to avoid compliance with UFW terms. Under the threat of being fired, helpless farm workers were pressured to consent to Teamsters contracts which guaranteed considerably less rights. Chavez, furious at the deprivation of the farm workers' right to select their own representative union, declared, "They're signing contracts for our members. They can't get away from this; it's going to bring the Teamsters the biggest headache they've ever had." |
The Salad Bowl Strike
"It looked like a revolution, and some of these right-wing growers thought it was."
~Jerry Cohen, UFW
~Jerry Cohen, UFW
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In addition to the initiation of a nationwide non-union lettuce boycott, many farm workers refused to work during "one of the largest labor actions in the country's history" (Salinas Californian). "Of 10,000 workers, 6,000 walked off of the fields. Half returned within a few days, but the strike still hurt the growers disastrously; shipments were cut in half and the wholesale price of lettuce doubled" ("From Fruit Bowl to Salad Bowl", TIME).
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"We don't ask the impossible--only that they look upon us as human beings. We have the same ambitions as they do. We have families. We have rights. We are people. Why must they continue to treat is like beasts of burden and look for a thousand ways to keep us down. They sold us out to the Teamsters, and now they are angry at us for not selling ourselves out... But the people know we are right. They will give us their support. We shall triumph."
~Antonio Sagredo, lettuce worker
~Antonio Sagredo, lettuce worker
September 1, 1970, Delano CA (Click to view text)
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August 25, 1970, New York Times (Click to view text)
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Aftermath
Through this major victory, the UFW regained its representation of farm workers while demonstrating their strength and ability to overcome any challenge using nonviolent means.
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As the catalyst for the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, the Salad Bowl Strike heightened public awareness of daily struggles and immediate necessity to reduce future repetitions of such conflict.
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