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El Laberinto, 1971-1987
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3 MIGRANTS' UNION FIGHTS FOR LIFE New York Times Keene, Calif. Less than two years after it won landmark contracts in the California grape industry, the United Farm Workers is under fierce attack, and its leaders are fighting for survival. A well-organized, well-financed campaign has been mounted against the union by a loose coalition that includes the American Farm Bureau Federation, large corporate growers and shippers, right-to-work committees and a variety of other conservative organizations. The main target is the seconday boycott, the weapon the farm workers union used successfully against the grape growers and is now employing against Iceberg lettuce and nine California wineries. "They are using everything to hit us over the head," said Cesar Chavez the union's director, whose headquarters are now in this mountain hamlet about 30 miles east of Bakersfield. "The right wing is spending a tremendous amount of money against us. They want to stop the boycott. They know it's the only way we can organize and they will do anything to take it away from us." The United Farm Workers is the first union to organize America's migrant agricultural laborers, and Chavez has gained an almost saintly reputation among workers for his leadership of La Cause, Spanish for the "Movement". The boycott has been indispensable in that organizing campaign, because the migrants are too poor and too transient to conduct and effective strike. To the union's opponents, however, the boycott is a "vicious weapon" and Chavez is a dangerous and power hungry man. As the Free Marketing Council, an organization of growers, shippers and chain stores put it recently: "Forces of coercion threatening a massive takeover of the nation's food supply in the field must be brought under control through state and federal legislation. "These attacks are growing at a time when the union has scored several n notable successes. In recent weeks the farm workers have won 2 major contracts in the Florida citrus industry, their first victories outside California and Arizona. In addition, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations upgrades the farm workers from "organizing committees" to a full scale union. The most immediate threat to the un union is a petition filed in federal court by the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. That petition asked the court to enjoin the farm workers from conducting boycotts, which are prohibited by the National Labor Relations Act. Arguments will be heard in Fresno on April 6. (date_March 1972 VIVA LA HUELGA
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3 MIGRANTS' UNION FIGHTS FOR LIFE New York Times Keene, Calif. Less than two years after it won landmark contracts in the California grape industry, the United Farm Workers is under fierce attack, and its leaders are fighting for survival. A well-organized, well-financed campaign has been mounted against the union by a loose coalition that includes the American Farm Bureau Federation, large corporate growers and shippers, right-to-work committees and a variety of other conservative organizations. The main target is the seconday boycott, the weapon the farm workers union used successfully against the grape growers and is now employing against Iceberg lettuce and nine California wineries. "They are using everything to hit us over the head," said Cesar Chavez the union's director, whose headquarters are now in this mountain hamlet about 30 miles east of Bakersfield. "The right wing is spending a tremendous amount of money against us. They want to stop the boycott. They know it's the only way we can organize and they will do anything to take it away from us." The United Farm Workers is the first union to organize America's migrant agricultural laborers, and Chavez has gained an almost saintly reputation among workers for his leadership of La Cause, Spanish for the "Movement". The boycott has been indispensable in that organizing campaign, because the migrants are too poor and too transient to conduct and effective strike. To the union's opponents, however, the boycott is a "vicious weapon" and Chavez is a dangerous and power hungry man. As the Free Marketing Council, an organization of growers, shippers and chain stores put it recently: "Forces of coercion threatening a massive takeover of the nation's food supply in the field must be brought under control through state and federal legislation. "These attacks are growing at a time when the union has scored several n notable successes. In recent weeks the farm workers have won 2 major contracts in the Florida citrus industry, their first victories outside California and Arizona. In addition, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations upgrades the farm workers from "organizing committees" to a full scale union. The most immediate threat to the un union is a petition filed in federal court by the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. That petition asked the court to enjoin the farm workers from conducting boycotts, which are prohibited by the National Labor Relations Act. Arguments will be heard in Fresno on April 6. (date_March 1972 VIVA LA HUELGA
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