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Cesar e. chavez (Click to select text)
Cesar Estrada Chavez, was a great Mexican American labor union organizer, leader and An Agricultural migrant worker. He used nonviolent action to gain recognition and respect from the Migrant farm laborers. Cesar Chavez knew he needed recognition in order to negotiate in collective bargaining for the labor rights of the migrant worker. Agricultural growers and agricultural business corporations where rich and powerful and had never allowed any recognition of any union. Farm workers had been excluded from the right to collective bargaining that had been guaranteed to other workers by the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (Zannos, p.68). It would not happen for forty years; later in 1975 through the efforts of Cesar Chavez, United Farm Workers Union (UFW) and the migrant workers that they secured for themselves the protection of the National Labor Relations Act and an Agricultural Relations Board. Cesar Chavez was born in 1927, in a farm near Yuma, Arizona. In 1939, his parents lost their farm in a bank-foreclosure. Cesar's parents and family members, including the ten-year old Cesar, moves to California to become migrant workers (Griswold, p.22). Chavez had worked in the fields as a child and had encountered the reality of being poor, as well as a member of a discriminated class of people (Altman, p.87). The land shaped the thinking and emotional being of Cesar Chavez. The reality of hard work in the hot fields at low wages, the planting, hoeing and harvesting of the agricultural produce that was the foundation of a multi-billion food chain industry impressed Cesar. He discovered his place in the whole enterprise and that the workers were merely expendables obtained at the lowest price with the least personal protection and job benefits. Cesar Chavez had realized the workers were too weak to fight the agricultural business that controlled public, political enforcing and policing agencies. The powerful growers and corporations lacked the consciousness of putting into practice the fair integration of workers as partners in the agricultural enterprise. The situation of the migrant workers guided Chavez’s actions and provided him with the emotional motivation to organize farm workers. There is no doubt that the land, the people, his family and cultural environment of his home shaped his character and motivated him in his efforts on behalf of migrant field workers. Cesar Chavez organized grape pickers in California in 1962, into the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). Chavez originally from Arizona knew first hand about meagerness and directed his union organizing activities with few resources. He started out with the solidarity of his wife-Helen, his brother-Richard and a few friends. Cesar borrowed $3,000 from his brother Richard to begin the union. The National Farm Workers Association had developed a non-violent strategy to survive and selected the Aztec eagle for its emblem. They also carried the image of the Lady of Guadalupe on banners during their Huelgas (strikes) and other marches. Cesar Chavez never wavered from his task of helping the migrant workers. He knew personally the suffering experienced by the field workers. So, in 1966, the powerful agricultural enterprises were now challenged by the smallest, weakest and poorest agricultural labor union. The NFWA merged with the Filipino labor union changing their name to the Farm Workers Association Committee (UFWOC). Both unions had been on strike since 1965, against California grape growers. California wine grape growers accepted the UFWOC as the collective bargaining agent for grape pickers, but table grape growers did not. With Cesar Chavez to represent them the California grape pickers began to demand higher wages and better working conditions. When the table grape growers did not listen to the union’s demands, the grape pickers went on strike. The workers left the fields and the unharvested grapes began to rot on the vines. The growers hired illegal workers and brought in strikebreakers and thugs to beat-up the strikers. Union members and Chavez were jailed repeatedly (Project p.2). Chavez and NFWA encouraged all Americans in a nation-wide boycott to boycott all table grapes as a show of support. Cesar began to fast as a spiritual plea for union members to adhere to non-violent action, although confronted by so much violence against them. (Richard, p.19) The use of the nation-wide boycott was a strategy that took the struggle away from a small area in Delano, California where the powerful growers controlled the power to influence political and public agencies, especially law enforcement agencies that could be used to fight their battles against stickers. Across the nation, other rich and powerful groups, college students and general public consumers saw the injustice of the treatment of field workers and supported their grape boycott. Public officials such as Robert Kennedy, religious leaders and ordinary citizens from all over the United States flocked to California to march in support of the farm workers. (Project, p.2) By 1970, most table grape growers came to terms with the union and accepted Union contracts and the boycott ended. In 1973, the union changed its name toe the United Farm Workers of America, (UFWA). With each change of name came new alliances, new strategies, new vision and hope. Unfortunately, the rich and powerful growers never had intentions of changing its non-integral philosophy and failed to renew their contracts in 1973. In 1973, the UFWA organized a strike for higher wages from lettuce and grape growers. Always, Chavez remained committed to non-violence although, this was difficult when the opposition employed the use of police, county sheriff deputies and paid rednecks to harass the strikers in the fields. The out breaks of violence against the union resulted in beatings and some deaths of union strikers. Chavez and UFWA used their strategies from previous strikes and where able to negotiated with the growers in 1978. Cesar Chavez a very religious Catholic wrote a prayer about the struggles the union members faced. Prayer of the Farm Workers' Struggle Show me the suffering of the most miserable; So I will know my people's plight. Free me to pray for others; For you are present in every person. Help me take responsibility for my own life; So that I can be free at last. Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life. Give me honesty and patience; So that I can work with other workers. Bring forth song and celebration; So that the Spirit will be alive among us. Let the spirit flourish and grow; So that we will never tire of the struggle. Let us remember who have died for justice; For they have given us life. Help us love even those who hat us; So we can change the world. Amen Written By Cesar E. Chavez, UFWA Founder (1927-1993) (Vargas, p.1) During the 1980's, Chavez led a boycott to protest the use of toxic pesticides on grapes. Again Chavez fasted to draw public attention; these strikes and boycotts generally ended with the signing of bargaining agreements. Chavez continued to lead marches, often accompanied by one or more of his grandchildren. He was always concerned about dignity, justice and fairness. He was ready to sacrifice for what he believed was right, "Fighting for social justice, it seems to me, is one of the profoundest ways in which man can say yes to man's dignity and that really means sacrifice", Cesar has said, " There is no way on this earth in which you can say yes to man's dignity and know that you're going to be spared some sacrifice." (Project, p.3) Because Chavez was so compassionate about the rights of the Farm workers, they were able to earn better wages, respect and better treatment. They had secured collective bargaining and political protection from the National and California Labor Relations Boards. The workers had secured wages that were closer to being livable wages, they had won human rights that were reflected in safe working conditions in the fields, clean water, toilets, improved housing, and worker's compensation. These were working conditions and rights that with out a Cesar Chavez's visions of hope and integrity would have never came about. Cesar E. Chavez died in his sleep on April 22,1993, at a friend's home in the town of San Luis, Arizona. The funeral was held in Delano, California and was attended by some 35,000 mourners, represented by Catholic and other church representatives, union members, public figures, representatives of the entertainment industry, people from all walks of life and economic classes. Cesar E Chavez was a remarkable person; he dedicated his life for farm workers rights with non-violence and is one of our countries greatest civil rights leaders. Chavez helped change history to improve the future for my generation and our children.
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