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Great Lives
Cesar Chavez: Hope for the People
The son of poor Mexican Americans, Cesar Chavez grew up in grinding poverty. In 1962, he set out to do what many before him had tried and failed to do -- organize a trade union for farm workers. With courage and determination, he transformed the plight of the workers into an international cause.
235 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 1991
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December 20, 2020
I’m trying to make sure reading doesn’t become a chore, or just another task, so I went with more of a light read this week. (The Great Lives series is written for young readers, but I came across this one in a little free library and figured, "why not"?) I’m glad I picked it up. An easy read, but still an important story and topic; and I still learned a good amount.
One of the biggest gaps in my knowledge that was partially filled by this book was the historical mistreatment and scapegoating of various ethnic groups before Latin American farm workers became one of the latest to bear the brunt of landowner exploitation and the myth of stealing jobs.
In the late 1800s, tens of thousands of Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad and when it was completed, many of them got hired by large agribusinesses who were seeking to expand their operation to meet the new markets made more accessible by the railroad. Instead of being celebrated for their contributions, the Chinese workers were soon used as a scapegoat for a recession and stealing jobs even though they only accounted for only 0.002% of the population at the time. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, barring any Chinese laborers from entering the country for ten years. Sound familiar?
Just like today, most Americans weren’t willing to do farm work for such low wages and under such terrible conditions; so Japanese, East Indian, and Filipino workers were the next to be exploited.
That was until these groups started saving enough money to buy or lease land to grow their own crops. That led to laws attempting to steal the land back (that were ultimately declared unconstitutional), but unfortunately a successful law to effectively stop Asian emigration during the 1920s. Noticing a pattern yet?
The main body of the book gives a narrative history of the Chavez Family’s intergenerational struggle (which serves as an example for another hundred years of struggle among all farmworkers), and how the United Farm Workers began. It includes some of the major milestones, negotiations, and struggles with agribusiness and with other unions.
The book covers some of the major strikes, boycotts, and organizing that won major contracts and raises. The history culminates with the passing of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA), a landmark California law that extended collective bargaining rights and protections to agricultural employees who are excluded from the coverage of the federal National Labor Relations Act. An imperfect law, with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board being politicized, but a huge step forward for fair treatment of farm workers.
Written in 1991, two years before Chavez's death, the book concludes with his renewed focus on reducing pesticide use; which is hurting the workers he fought for, the land he was always close to, and consumers who eat residual pesticides in produce.
I still have plenty to learn about the current status of the UFW and other specific unions, but with the current status of wealth and income inequality in the US, I do know we need a resurgence in just about every industry in the United States.
One of the biggest gaps in my knowledge that was partially filled by this book was the historical mistreatment and scapegoating of various ethnic groups before Latin American farm workers became one of the latest to bear the brunt of landowner exploitation and the myth of stealing jobs.
In the late 1800s, tens of thousands of Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad and when it was completed, many of them got hired by large agribusinesses who were seeking to expand their operation to meet the new markets made more accessible by the railroad. Instead of being celebrated for their contributions, the Chinese workers were soon used as a scapegoat for a recession and stealing jobs even though they only accounted for only 0.002% of the population at the time. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, barring any Chinese laborers from entering the country for ten years. Sound familiar?
Just like today, most Americans weren’t willing to do farm work for such low wages and under such terrible conditions; so Japanese, East Indian, and Filipino workers were the next to be exploited.
That was until these groups started saving enough money to buy or lease land to grow their own crops. That led to laws attempting to steal the land back (that were ultimately declared unconstitutional), but unfortunately a successful law to effectively stop Asian emigration during the 1920s. Noticing a pattern yet?
The main body of the book gives a narrative history of the Chavez Family’s intergenerational struggle (which serves as an example for another hundred years of struggle among all farmworkers), and how the United Farm Workers began. It includes some of the major milestones, negotiations, and struggles with agribusiness and with other unions.
The book covers some of the major strikes, boycotts, and organizing that won major contracts and raises. The history culminates with the passing of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA), a landmark California law that extended collective bargaining rights and protections to agricultural employees who are excluded from the coverage of the federal National Labor Relations Act. An imperfect law, with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board being politicized, but a huge step forward for fair treatment of farm workers.
Written in 1991, two years before Chavez's death, the book concludes with his renewed focus on reducing pesticide use; which is hurting the workers he fought for, the land he was always close to, and consumers who eat residual pesticides in produce.
I still have plenty to learn about the current status of the UFW and other specific unions, but with the current status of wealth and income inequality in the US, I do know we need a resurgence in just about every industry in the United States.
Displaying 1 of 1 review