Ending the Strike
A Frontier for Workers’ Rights:
The Delano Grape Strike and Boycott
Impact
The Delano grape strike marked a frontier of the labor rights movement in the US. The strike stood as a powerful symbol of resistance against the structural economic and social forces that exploited immigrant farmworkers. By organizing a boycott of grapes, the UFW drew national attention to cruel working conditions and pressured grape growers to negotiate. Additionally, protestors brought to light the consequences of American expansionism: immigrants asserted their agency to counter government support for big agribusinesses. The frontier in the labor movement was felt far beyond the fields of California, contributing to a culture of grassroots activism that continues to shape workers' rights in the US.
Itliong and Chavez during the Delano Grape Strike, San Fransisco Chronicle, 1965
"Cesar Chavez
your steps no longer cross the dusty fields
where your strong voice once shone
yet your example
and your words
sprout anew in the field rows
as seedlings of quiet hope."
~ Alma Flor Ada, Gathering the Sun, 1997
"The seeds that Cesar and Dolores planted in the early days of the
farmworkers’ struggle sprouted and grew in a climate of change, irrigated by the hopes and expectations of a generation. In spite of all obstacles and the incredible odds against success, the seed that was the tiny farmworkers’union survived and produced a bountiful harvest simply because of the sheer faith and commitment of the leadership and the army of volunteers who were recruited for the harvest."
~ Barbara Macri-Ortiz, Delano striker account, 1990
UFW poster, Digital Public Library of America, circa 1970
Delano striker, Polly Cardona Pasillas at the 50th anniversary of the grape strike, Los Angeles Times, 2015
"[T]he strike raised global consciousness about the plight of farm workers. It was a pivotal moment in which Filipino Americans made their largest and most significant imprint on the American narrative. That bold step taken by these Filipino workers—most of whom were senior citizens in the twilight of their lives—inspired labor movements and movements for civil rights and social justice among Filipino Americans and Americans of all backgrounds."
~ Herb Delute, Filipino Delano laborer, Interview with Herb Delute, Johnny Itliong, Marissa Rebaya Pulido, and Ray Paular, Positively Filipino, 2015
Present-day Grassroots Movements
Coalition of Immokalee Workers Fair Food Program
Since 2011, this program has secured agreements with major food companies to pay a penny-per-pound premium for tomatoes, which goes directly to audit farms, and improves farmworkers' education and wages.
The Campaign for Fair Food, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
On March 14th, 2023, farmworkers in Florida embarked on a 45-mile march, demanding Publix, Wendy’s, and Kroger, to join the Fair Food Program.
Fair Food Program march in Florida, AP News, 2023
The Milk With Dignity Campaign
Immigrant farmworkers started the Milk with Dignity Campaign in 2009 to advance Vermont dairy farmers’ rights by pressuring businesses to pay a premium, offer dignified housing and working conditions, and increase salaries.
Ben and Jerry's brought into the Milk with Dignity Agreement, Migrant Justice, 2014
Last year, migrant workers under the campaign marched to end the exploitation of their labor.
Farm workers marching, Middlebury, Vermont, Truthout, 2022
Marina Peng, Senior Division, Individual Website