Browse Exhibits (3 total)

Melon Strike of 1966

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In 1966 for about 90 days hundreds of men, women and children from Starr County began a strike that change workers’ rights in Texas. This march began from our side of the world (RGV) to the state capitol (Austin, TX) where over 15,000 people, including Cesar Chavez, voiced their opinions.

The strike for fair wages began the summer of 1966, when The National Farm Workers Association in Texas called attention to harsh working conditions and low pay. The strike began against the Starr County melon growers who were paying workers between 40 - 85 cents an hour. The strikers demanded a minimum wage of $1.25, workers shut down every packing shed in the county in the middle of the melon harvest season. The melon strike sparked the Chicano movement in Texas which led to Texas civil rights movement.

NOTE: The students have provided a description of the United Farm Worker's Melon Strike of 1966. However, the primary sources provided relate to the Texas Farm Worker's Melon Strike of 1976.

1966special collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history civil rightsspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history laborspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history labor rightsspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history melonspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history primary source guidespecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history Starr Countyspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history strike

The Grape Strike

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The purpose of this lesson is to help students recognize the working conditions of farm workers in Delano, California in the 1960s. On September 8, 1965, Filipino farm workers organized as the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC). They decided to strike against grape growers due to low pay and horrible working conditions. They were demanding pay of $1.40 an hour plus 25 cents per box of grapes picked.AWOC leaders asked the NFWA if they can lead another strike with Latino farm workers. The NFWA (National Farm Workers Association) was led by Cesar Chavez and this was the first major collaboration between Filipino and Mexican workers (Franky Abbott, 2016).

1965special collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history AWOCspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history Cesar Chavezspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history farm workersspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history laborspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history labor rightsspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history NFWAspecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history primary source guidespecial collections, archives, LRGV history, borderlands, US-Mexico history strike

The Onion Strike of 1979

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The Raymondville Onion Strike took place in 1979 on account of their wages being cut because of onion prices. Being known as the “Onion Capital of the World” the strike started off as a wage problem then other problems arose with working conditions and class confrontation. Tony Andrea, who organized the strike, caught the attention of the Civil Rights movement. The strikewas did catch attention but not national. The strike lasted seven days and it was successful enough to where the onion harvest was shut down. The strike was crushed by anglo business men who purchased the field from the original owner and then recruited other workers and fired those who participated in the strike.

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