(

Non-Profit Org.u.s. Postage Paid.

Permit # 124Delano~ Ca. 93215

Honday, April 1,1968

. IN_ENGLISH

ers ~.,.

rativa'· .

. nne .

..,-

~. Delano, Cal ifornia

EI Malc:riadoThe .Voice, of the Farm Worker

. .

Hey, hay, who said you could vote? /I

Volume II, No.3

-UNITED FARM WORK~RS

ORGANIZING COMMITTEEP.O. BOX 130DELANO, CALIFORNIA 93215

2/EL MALCRIADO. April 1. 1968

\

We hope you've enjoyed recelvlngthese last few sample copies of ELMALCRIADO. Final decisions have notbeen made concerning our exact distri­bution. At this moment the onlypeople who are certain to continue re­ceiving the newspaper are UFWOC mem­bers and paid subscribers.

We have been using an active news­letter list of more than ten thousandsupporters. The cost of such an im­possible mailing is really beyond usat this point. The work of processingthis size mailing list ;s also beyondthe capacity of our limited staff.

We do not want to lose contact withthe people who are actively interestedin La Causa but our newsletter listfails to differentiate between an ac­tive supporter and one who might havesigned a name to a petition on our be­half two years ago.

The problem of integrating theUFWOC supporter list may not be facedfor many months because of the pres­sure of work in Delano ••• Therefore. ifyou have 'an active interest in news ofthe farm worker movement and you wantto be sure that you keep getting ELMALCRIADO please fill in the blank be­low and send it with your check.

cesar to be kennedydelegate

reagan visits farmworker slums 5

rent strike won 7

non-violence andyour vote 8

mexican unions toact on scabs 11

itliong sues birchers 12

health & welfare fund 12

digiorgio 13

"EL MALCRIADQ" is pub­'lished 'by the Farm,WorkerPress, Inc., an organ ofUnited Farm Workers Or­ganizing Committee, AFL­CIO.

II

Subscribe Now!

about nlra 15

EL MALCRIADOP.O. BOX 130DE LANO, CALI F.

93215

More and more people are finding out that a subscription toEL MALCRIADO is the best way to keep up with the farm workerstl'UfJlJle. Don't be left out... Send in this coupon today!Cada quinzena mas y mas _personas aprende que EL MALCRIADOes Za mejor fuente'de imformaci8n sobre eZ moviemientocampesino. No Zo piercies .• :Env!e eZ cup8n hoy!

FILL OUT THIS CARD AND SEND IT WITH $3.50 TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS FOR A ONE-YEAR'SUBSCRIPTION TO EL MALCRIADO, SENT TO, YOUR HOME EVERY TWO WEEKS FOR ONE YEAR.Llena este cupon y env!elo con $3.50 a la direccion arriba. As! Ie c~prP.

por torreo cada 15 dias durante en a'o.

Z03

NAME-nombre , English 0 ,EspanolD

,

ADDRESS-domicil io -,'

CITY-ciUdad ' (

f

c-estado ZIP ---.,._

EL'MALCRIADO. March 15. 1968/3

10,000 massin gran fiesta

I

of potluck of massive contri­butions from committees andfamilies a 11 over the state.

They returned to the speakers'.stand for introductions of theorganizers of the event and tohear a ringing declaration byReies Tijerina, fiery leaderof the land grant movement inNew Mexico. "The press andpropaganqa m a k e r s of thiscountry are trying to destroythe unity of our people. Ofcourse 1- endorse the work ofCesar Chavez. Brother Cha­vez and all the brothers of theUnited Farm Workers Organi­zing Committee are gallanthuman beings fighting to es­tablish the dream and realityof America for those who havebeen the most disadvantaged,the farm workers. "

After praising the unionme m b e r s for "tremendousgains" in the last two years hesaid: "Th e s e victories areyours. You won them with yourcourage and with the l,e.ader-:­ship of Cesar Chavez. Thereis no one who can take themfrom you."

Paul Schrade, West Coasthead of the United Auto Wor­kers rose to the platform todeliver a $50,000 check for.construction of offices on the40-acre site owned by UFWOC.He then gave an add it ion aI'$4900 check given by the mem­bers of the UAWtraining pro­gram. The money is to be usedspecifically for t r a i n i n g ofUFWOC personnel and comit­teemen.

The crowd dispersed to enjoya "comida cooperativa" a sort

'rhe greatest gathering offarm workers in the history

,of Delano celebrated the endof the 25-day fast of Ce sa r

I Chavez on Sunday, March 10.Ten thousand farm workers

joined in a procession behindthe Virgen of Guadalupe, pat­ron saint of Mexico, and theThunderbird banners of theUnited Farm Workers Organi­zing Committee.

Senator Robert F. Kennedywas near the fr ont as the pro­cession wound almost a milethrough Delano Mem'Jrial Parkto a tempory altar.

A multi-church mass withan opening prayer in Hebrew,a Protestant sermon and Ca­tholic r it ua 1 preceded th ebreaking of the bread, semita,the bread of the poor of Mexico.The first to break bread wereChavez and Ken nedy. Theloaves were then shared by theentire assemblage as priestspassed among the throng.

UFWOC vice president JulioHernandez read Chavez' state­ment in Spanish and Rev. JamesDrake read it in English be­cause "My heart is so full andmy body too weak to say whatI feel." Chavez sat too weakto even keep his head erect ashis own words were spoken."I undertook this fast becausemy heart was filled with griefand pain for the sufferings offarm workers... It was a fastfor non-violence and a call tosacrifice.

"Our struggle is not easy.Those who oppose our causeare rich and powerful an d theyha ve many allies in high places.We are poor. Our allies arefew. But we have somEilthingthat the rich do not, own. Wehave our own bodies'and spiritsand the justice of our cause asour weapons. "

Senator Kennedy opened hisremarks in a Spanish brokenby his Massachusettes accent.and set the audience to wildapplause.

"I come to honor CesarChavez for his compassion, hishonesty, his truth and his de­dication, " he said.

4/El MALCRIADO. t1arch 15.1968

Trial Set to April 22that he would notthe fasting Chav­the ordeal of atrial at that

•.

Cesar Chavez sat in thecourtroom, weakened andpained by 13 days of hisreligious fast.

Along the corridors, a­round the lobby walls,and lining the walkwaysoutside, more than 1,000Mexican, Negro, Filipino,and Anglo farm workersstood silently or quietlysinging.

The date was February27. Chavez and the Unionwere on trial.

The charge: 12 alleg~d

violations of an antl­strike injunction issuedlast August by Kern CoumySuperior Court Judge J.Kelly Steele.

The characters in thedrama had first appearedthe day before. But thepresiding judge of theKern CountySuperior Courtclaimed no courtroom wasavailable for hearing thecase. Witnesses were or~

ered to report the follow­ing day.

Meanwhile, Kern Countyjudicial officials werehurriedly arranging forretired Los Angeles judgeMorton Barker to come toBakersfield to hear thecase.

No local judge wouldtake it on, many observ­ers said.

On the second day,Los Angeles judge

nouncedsubjectez tolengthytime.

He asked how much timeUFWOC wanted for an ex­tension and then granted45 days, suggesting ApriY15 as a possible new dat e.Giumarra's attorney, Wil­liam A. Quinlan, told thejudge he couldn't make iton the 15th, so the hear-

,ing was re-set for April22 in Superior Court atBakersfield ..

After the hearing, morethan a thousand peoplereturned to Delano for ameeting at the Forty Ac­res. Representatives of~l the Union ranches cameto camp for several daysin tents beside the build­ing where Chavez was keep­ing his fast.

Farm workers, Unionstaff people and reure­sentatives from the coun­try's most important la­bor organizations express­ed their solidarity andresolved to return foranother orderly demonstra­tion on April 22.

William Kircher of theAFL-CIO and Walter Reuth­er of United Auto Workersaddressed the crowd, andAlmaden ranch committeechairman Francisco Soria

sang "Las Mananitas" inhonor of Cesar's name day.

And while the Unionwaited for the second actof its frame-up ordeal,Giumarra's foremen con­tinued to cruise the pick­etlines with their riflesmounted in their pick-uptrucks, trying the pa­tience of farm workerswho have been on strikefor more than 30 months.

EL MALCRIADO, March 15. 1968/5

by Juanita Herreraas told to El Malcriado

Mrs. Herrera, striking farm Norker and mother of four, recently returned from New York.She tells of strike activities in New York and of the shocking arrests of s.everal farm work­ers last month:

There are about 50 of us, mostlyfromDelanoand Richgrove and around here, that are on theboycott in New York. Six people just left withMarcos Munoz for Boston, and some are goingto Chicago.

For three weeks there was no snow, but nowthere is snow and slush. It was 18 degrees whenwe left. We used to picket every day at the Pro­duce Market, where they se11 the fruit and vege ­tables to the mar k e t s, But we haven't donemuch picketing since the arrest.· My husbandand myself were arrested, and 22 1/2 inall (wesay 1/2 because there was a 6 year old boy.We were in jail all day, and we didn't have any­thing to eat all day but one slice of bologna andtwo slices of bread apiece.

Now I think I know New York, because we were

in jail there! We were in jail from 7 in the mor­ning until 4 in the aft ern 0 0 n. It was in theBronx. We hope that the arrest and being injail will bring some benefits for us.

They said we were disturbing the peace. Wewere surprised when they arrested us. We onlysaid "Don't buy scab grapes" and we were singingsometimes. A lot of people came to the jail andprotested the arrest. Three buses of Seafarersand Longshoremen came and picketed to supportus. The guy that put the complaint dropped thecharge.

Now we contact unions, small groups, chur­ches. We talk to them, ask for help and support.We tell them how the strike began and how wewant a union, We have great support there,unions, churches, stu den t s, Puerto Ricans,Negroes. Everyone knows about our strike.

Boycott BuildsNEW YORK, March l4--The

Huelga has come toNew York.Over 50 strikers left Delanoin Januaryand traveled by busto New York, to start a fulltime boy cot t of Giumarragrapes and other grapes grownby growe'rs who won't signcontracts with the Union.

Now full time boycott acti­vities have started in Chicago,under Eliseo Medina, and inBoston, under Marcos Munoz.Dolores Huerta and Fred Rosslead the boycott in New York.

"We will stay here rightthrough the next season, ifnecessary," Fred Ross toldEl Malcriado last week.

The basic tactic is to informand organize e'very sympathe­tic group in the East to supportthe farm workers' struggle,R,oss said. The main pressurehas bee~ d ire c ted againstVictor Joseph and Son, vege­table and fruit brokers, whosell Giumarra grapes to manyof the big Esatern chain stores..

The boycott also includesall non - union grapes, sinceGiumarra uses man yothergrower s' labeIs in an effort todefeat the boycott.

Members of all major unions,stUdents; clergy and religiousgroups, civil rights groups,Neg r 0 and Puerto Ric an

groups, and concerned citi­zens have formed a massivecoalition to close the New Yorkarea to scab grapes. If ne­cessary, the en t ire HuntsPoint Produce Mar k e t, thehuge fresh fruit and vegetablemarket serving the New York­New Jersey area, will be picke­ted.

As one sympathetic laborleader from New York put it,"Since Giumarra is deaf to thepleas of the strikers, maybehe win listen to us. Giumarrabetter either bargain with andrecognize the Union, or sendno more grapes to New York.We would hate to tie up thisbeautiful market next spring,"

6/EL MALCRIADD, March 15, 1968

Greencard Abuse Could Close Border

GREEN CARD commuters cross the border daiLy at Roma, Texas toboard buses which take them to the fields. FederaL law prohi­bits the use of green carders as strikebreakers. Sallis Photo

The Power &the PitttanceThe greencard commuter is a refugee from the poverty of

Mexico. Although he lives in Mexico, he com3S to this countryeither daily or seasonally with the hope of returning home withsome savings. He is taken advantage of by the growers, sweat­shop employers, by merchants, and by businessmen of all sorts.He returns with a pittance of the labor value he leaves behind,while reducing resident workers to a poverty alien to the societyof abundance.

The "commuter" system clearly violates the law, but willgovernment enforce the law? The growers of California and theSouthwest say they need the greencarder to do the stoopwork,'but they refuse to pay the wages and grant the conditions whichwould allow us to work in dignity. The poor of Mexico pay $273million a year into U. S. industry due to an unfavorable trade

.balance. While industry is picking the Mexican pocket for themillions, the Immigration Service allows som,:! change to trickleback to the poorest of the poor, through the greencard system.Everybody can then be satisfied... everybody but the U. S. farmworker, who must compete against the desperately poor ofM,~xico, who are used as a lever to cut his wages to the lowestpossible point.

The grower laughs and gets fat. The industrialist gets fatand laughs--expecting us to fight with our Mexican brothers.

But we know who the real enemy is!

worker. We welcome anyman, alien or not, if he iswilling to stand up for dignity,better conditions and a decentwage," Bustos said.

"Since the growers insist onusing the greencarder againsthis own interests and the in­terests of resident farm wor­kers there is real danger thatthe border can be closed, " henoted. R e c e n t governmenthearings on the green cardproblem have produced seve:­ral strongly w 0 r de d state­ments:

Jack Conway, executive di­rector of the Industrial UnionDept., AFL-CIO:

"Unless effective steps aretaken immediately to bring thegreen card pro b 1e m undercontrol so that the rights andequities of all workers will beadequately protected, we willbe forced into escalating cam­paigns of opposition to the useof green cards. "

The A F L - CIO ExecutiveCouncil:

"The AFL-CIOhas suppor­ted a liberal immigration po­licy but. .. has insisted thatthere is no room for a policywhich would permit immig­rants, yet not citizens, whohold resident visas, to act asstrikebreakers. "

Michael Peevey, ResearchDirector of the Calif. LaborFederation:

"No foreign farm workersshould be imported into theU. S. this year or in subse­quent years. We believe thatpublic law 414 should be amen­ded to bar foreign farm wor­ker importation entirely:"

"The intent of all U. S. im­migration law has always beento uphold Arne rica n laborstandards, " Bustos said. Theg r e e n card strikebreakersviolate that intent. If the lawis not a p p lie d to limit thestrikebreakers then p eo p 1ewill act to put new and sharperteeth into the law. The greencard strikebreaker and thegrower may be digging theirown economic grave.

of our officers and some ofour best members hold greencards, but when a man reallylives in Me x i co and comeshere to take our jobs that'sanother story. The dollar has

'some strength in Mexico, butthe same dollar spent here canhardly fill the belly and coverthe head of the U•. S. farm

Will the border be closed toMexican aliens who work inthe fields of the Southwest?

"That is not our objective atall," UFWOC official RobertBustos sa i d recently. "Weonly want to cut off a supplyof cheap farm labor which isused to undermine our wagesand working conditions. Some

EL. MALCRIADO, March 15, 196817

Delano, Calif. 93215

"There is still noway to telljust what the penalty for the­green cards may be, whetherjail, a fine, or simply loss ofthe immigration visa, but per­jury is a crimi nal offensewhich will be costly in bothtime and money. "

E 1eve n "green carders"were 'a r res ted at CiprianoPadillo's labor camp recently.

-When the B 0 r d e r Patrolgave them orders to leave,they remained because a com­pany agent told them that theBorder Patrol was just strik­ers dressed up as officers.The ,arrest came on the secondvisit. Since t ha t time Giu­marra has bailed out the men,and a hearing has been sche-,duled for March 18.

Through reliable so~urces,

El Malcriado has learned thata number of growers are wor­king hand in glove with Giu­marra to challenge the immig­ration law which forbids greencarders to aetas strikebreak­ers. They have hired a LosAngeles attorney named Bo­naparte to do the job for them.

The March 18, decision canbe c rue i a 1 in determiningwhether or not a free flow ofstrikebreakers will be permit­ted to cross _the internationalborder. On March 18, Mr.Bona par te may meet hisWaterloo.

Phone 725-1281

r-~~AS C-0-----'11000 "F" St

~ 758-5774 • 1

You can reach him for emergency care at alltimes by call ing 725-1281.

The doctor for the Union is in the cl inicMonday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. until5:30 p.m. He also has cl inic hours onThursday evening from 7:00 until 9:00, andon Saturday morning from 10:00 until 12:30.

public. "Green carders are resident

aliens who hold ImmigrationService form 1-151. Federalregulations prohibit using agreen card to enter the Uni­ted States with the intentionof working on ranches wherea certified I abo r dis put eexists.

"We already have evidenceof several cases where com­pany agents have told 'greencarders' to per j u r e them­selves in talking to the immig­ration authorities. When weprove this it will not go toowell either for the company orthe perjurers.

P. O. Box 671

rR-~DRIGO TERRaNE Z ME MORIAL CLINICI Clinica Medica Campesina

BAKERSFIE~D630 Baker St.

323-4294_.__.~---- ---_.-

egg bread and pastriesaU kinds of donuts

french breadcakes for all occasions

If-407~~~~~0Ave.725-9178

THREE'1JuCATIONS TO SERVE YOU IN KERN COUNTY

"After only five days of in­vestigation our people havefound that at least 25% of theGiumarra work force in thefields are 'green carders, ' "according to L u p e MurguIaNava, a for mer Giumarraworker and now a leader in thestrike.

"We have many names andlocations and we will turn ourevidence over to the BorderPatroI and demand action. Ourmen will be on hand to see whatthe government does. If theyfail to make arrests, or if theillegals 'mysteriously' get a ­warning be for e the BorderPatrol comes we will know a-.bout it and make the fraud a

lA M(XICANABakeries

Greencard Scabs and the Law

8/EL MALCRIADO, March 15, 1968

The fast...It was a personal fast of penance, and hope. It symbolized a recommitment and

rededication to the principles of non-violence and brotherhood on which the [Jnion wasfounded. For 25 days, Cesar Chavez, director of the United Farm Workers OrganizinaCommittee fasted and nrayed. lie lived and slept at the Union's 40 acres of land nearDelano, \'/here the national headfJuarters of the Union are beinn built. Farm \'/orkersfrom allover California came to be with him, to pledqe their loyalty to the Cause,

. to pray with him at the daily masses.

Midway through the fast, Chavez was ordered to annear in Kern County Courthouseto answer charges by Giumarra Corporation that he and the Union had violated a courtinjunction restricting the strike. But the judge nostponed the trial because Chavezwas so weak from fasting. In a show of solidarity, over 1,000 farm workers wentwith Cesar to the Bakersfield court to stand trial with him. It was their Union, aswell as their leader, that was on trial.

Chavez's fast ended on March 10. He had lost 40 pounds and become so weak thathe could barely walk. But the fast strengthened the Union and united·the workersaround the basic principle of non-violence in continuing this struggle until justiceis achieved.

Helen and Cesar Chavez pray during thelast week of the fast.

Left: Workers from allover Californiacame to Delano to be with Chavez duringhis fast ••• from Parlier and Porterville,from Hollister and Hanford, from Living­ston and Lamont. Many slept in tents orin their cars. Women served meals andand coffee to the encamped workers.

Rig~t: Chavez and Union members attend­ed daily masses during the fast. The newco-op garage and gas station are'in thebackground of the temporary altar.

EL MALCRIADO, March 15, 1968/9

,Philip Veracruz and Julio Hernandez helpCesar Chavez to walk to the mass. LupeMurguia Nava, carrying the cross, and Fr.Mark Day lead the procession.

IO!El MAlCRIADO, March 15, 1968

Whywe

struggle

Gus Gutierrez in an Ari­zona farm worker noworganizing for the Unionin Central Arizona.UFWOC's Arizona head­quarters are at 9162 WestPolk, Tolleson. Gutierrezled the Guadalupe Organi­zation during the 1950's.This organization was.patterned on the C.S.O.in California, and broughtmany benefits to the poorpeople living in Guadalupe,the huge Mexican-Americanbarrio outside Phoenix.Gutierrez is an old friendand ally of Cesar Chavezand the other leadersof UFHOC.

~y Gustavo GutierrezTempe, Arizona

I heard the alarm clockring and turned over inbed wishing I could lie inbed longer, but it's 3:00AM, and if I don~t get to3rd and Madison before ~OO

AM, I might not be able toget to work with one ofthe contractors.

So I get up and strugglewith my clothes and shoes,get the coffee perk:ing and,Boy! fuat first cup of cof­fee sure feels good!

My mind wanders to theother people in the citywho are still sleeping,like the government officeworkers,. who don't go towork until 8:00 AM, but Ican't let my mind wandertoo much in that direction.I have to go out and earnenough for the rent.

I add up what I've madesince Saturday and it isonly $25 after expenses,lunch money for the kids,groceries, and I'm stillshort $35 for the rent mOfrey and here it is alreadyWednesday.

Well, -might as wellstart walking; it's a mileto 3rd and Madison and itshould take about 20 min­utes to get there. I'm notas young as I used to be.

The buses and trucks arelined up and down Madisonand 3rd Ave. The driversare shouting, "We pay ev­ery . afternoon, come andpick oranges, lemons, l2¢a bag." "Come and pick cafrtaloupes." "Cutting let­tuce you can work in triosor in cuadrillas; everybodyworks together."

The drivers shout likebarkers at a circus, allbidding for the laborerswho come looking for work.

Some of the buses hadbeen there since 2:30 AM,some of the bus es were leftparked overnight, and somewere loaded since 3:30 butwere still there. It issenseless to go out to thefields at that hwr becauseit woold still be dark whenthey got there and theycouldn't start working tilit was light enough to sea

Some of the otHer buseshad left early but that wasto eliminate any chance ofsome man getting off thebuses if somebody camealong with a better deal.

Some of the buses were go­ing as far as HarquahalaValleY,some 75 miles away.Others were going to Aq­uila, which is 80 milesaway---160 miles round­trip.This would be 5 hoursjust to go and come, with­out travel pay.

I remember when I wasyoung and was not afraidto do any kind of farmwork from loading lettuceto thinning sugar beets,but now I did not want tolook bad in the eyes ofmy fellow workers, or takethe chance of being tooslow, so I avoided work­ing where I had to work inteams. I chose work whereit was to each his own.

I thought, "I'll gowith Pancho (one of JoeRodriguez's foremen -- hehad cantaloupes), I knowI can hack it there andthey pay everyday." So Igot on the truck at 5:30AM and then we went to thecontractor's house, wherewe sat and waited for anhour for the contractorto come back from Glen­dale, where he had goneto pick up the payrollfrom Joe Rodriguez's off­ice.

After he got back wetook off for the fieldswhich took about an hour.When we got there, we hadto wait half an hour be­cause we started to workat 8:00. That's a long wmtbut what can you do whenyou don't have a car andanyway, it's too expensiveto drive a car 45 mileson $1.25 an hour.

When we got to thefields I knew that we weregoing to eat dust becauseit just rolled like whenyou have a storm. Thedrinking water turned in­to muddy chocolate be­cause of all the dirt thathad got into the watertank.

•

When we started worKingr knew that there was nostopping until quittingtime. That meant no stop­ping to eat, no rest per­iods, and so it went allday until quitting time.Up and down climbing intothe trucks, unloading thebags full of cantaloupes,and you had to be agileto climb the board thatruns from the ground tothe truck.

While we were working,one of the foremen askedfor our names but not oursocial security. numbers.Still, when we got paid,they took out money forthe social security. No­body told us how manyhours we had worked orhow much we were supposedto have earned, or howmuch social security theytook out. Nothing wassaid about anything; thecontractor acted like hewas doing us a favor.

We stopped working atabout 4 PM, but we didn'tget back into Phoenix un­til 6:30 PM -- the con­tractor had stopped totalk to the rancher, putgas in the truck -~ndall

this on our time.r felt like· hitting

something to relieve myfrustration, but r knewthat wouldn't help.

Somewhere in the bus rheard that in Delano,Cal­ifornia there were farmworkers who had organizeda union. In fact, the manwas saying they even hadsome contracts with someof the big companieswherethe workers were the oneswho decided how the con­tracts should be writtenand how they should getpaid. This is what theyhad to do in Arizona, theyhad to get together andorganize.

Maybe, r thought, rcould write to Delano andget some information and~hen maybe Phoenix and~he surrounding area couldtruly be the Valley of theSun instead of the Valleyof Shame.

EL MALCRIADO, March 15. 1')68/11

LBJ calls for ~ore

WASHINGTON, D. C. --Pre­sident Johnson has called forcollective bargaining rights forfarmers. Ina special messageto Congress, Johnson u r g e dhearings on "Farmer Bargain­ing." If far mer s bargained'collectively with canneries anddistributors, they co u 1d gethigher prices for their pro­duce ..

"The fact remains that thefarmer does not have the bar­gaining power he needs," thePresident said.

Johnson made no mention ofcollective bargaining rig h t sfor farm workers in any of hismessages to Congress, a ndhas never publicly endorsedlaws to 'give farm workers e­qual rights with other workersin America.

Grower Power

But while the 8, 000 full timeworkers have got substantialwage increases, many of the13, 000 seasonal employeeshave not been covered by thecontracts.

In J a :1 U a r y, the pineappleworkers voted 3, 80i to 202 infavor of authorizing a strikeif the company refused to meettheir basic demand-s for a new'contract to include 13,000 sea­sonal employees. A wage in­crease, improved pension planand 0 the r improvements inworking conditions were de­manded.

The, companies offered onlya small wage increase, whichwould set a minimum wage at$2. 21 by 1971. The cos t ofliVing is very high in Hawaii,making $2.21 i nad e qua t e.Meanwhile, the growers havebeen making high profits, andcan afford to pay more. Theoffer was rejected.

The-w'orkers, who includemany Filipino and Japanese­Americans, are prepared for

a long strike, if necessary,towin a fair settlement.

, The workers, 'members of ,the International Longshore­men and Warehousemen'sUnion, were the first farmw 0 r k e r s in the U.S. to be 'covered by Un ion contract,s.

Since that tim e we havegrown to' the strength whichcommands the respect of themost powerful industry in theworld. We can now sit downat a bargaining table and arrivenot only at a dec en t hourlywage, but guarantee a yearlyincome for every member.

"It is a privilege to be herein Delano today. I will be ableto tell my children and mygrandchildren that I was herewhen the farm workers madetheir first strides along theroad which will eventually leadto the organized solidarity thatwill bring a fair share of theAmerican abundance.

"U n de r the leadership ofCesar Chavez you are on thatroad, and you will win. "

Before leavingtlie speakers'platform, Reuther han d ed'a$7,500 check to Manuel Chavez"

YOUR HOSTS, SONNY & ANNE TORRES624 CarcesDelano

UAW head speaks in Delano

Long Strik'e Prospect

After visiting with the weak­ened Chavez, Reuther mountedthe platform to the applauseof more than 2,000 farm wor­kers.

"I come here today as therepresentative of more than1. 5 mill ion auto workers,bringing with me their greet­ings, hopes and support. Itwas not too long ago whenwearing a un~on button in aDetroit auto plant would re­sult in firings, blacklist and­beatings.

DELANO, Feb. 27--WalterReuther, leader of the power­ful United Auto Workers ar­rived in Delano to meet withfasting CesarChavez and toaddress farm w 0 r k e r s ga­thered in tents and lean-tos,mobilized in support of theUnion during the crisis.

12/EL MALCRIADO, March IS, 1968

People'sCafe

HONOLULU, HAWAII--F'ar'mworkers in Hawaii launched amas s i v e and 100% effectivestrike against the Big F i v epineapple companies on Feb­raury 8, 1968.

EL MALCRIADO. March 15. 1968/13

Scab driverCharles Beighle is a Giu­arra super visor. He spends

is days patrolling the UFWOCicket lines and driving thecabs in the fie 1d s to workaster. Chances are that thean is not too successful in

is workaday life. His com­any seems to be at least aonth behind last year's prun­

'ng and tying schedule.The man drives a Oiumarra

ickup with a gun mounted inhe rear. We wonder though,

'ust what it is that d r i v e seighle. The men and women

of the, picket line think he isriven by desperation. Theynow him better than most andhey believe he responds to

'maginary demons.Beighle is the man whose

signature brought Cesar Cha­vez, E pHanio Camacho and theest of the Union into court ton s we r charges of violencend harrassment. Union at­orneys have separate sworn

statements concerning vi 0­

lence, threats of violence andlewd and suggestive behavioron the part of the Giumarra

Legal aide?

On February 27, whenUFWOC was hailed intocourt to answer trumped­up charges filed byGiumarra, the Judge'de­cided to postpone thehearings until Chavezrecovered from his longfast.

JOhnny-Corne-LatelyGiumarra was displeased.Here's a report from'a reporter who was inthe courtroom...

agent.The super visor has 0 f ten

stopped to talk to the pickets,but rarely has he had anythingto say that was printable. His,four -letter vocabulary is ex­tensive, but when he is passfngthe line in his pickup and hasn'tthe time to talk, his habit is tosimply raise the middle fingerof his right hand.

Pickets have noticed a Jekylland Hyde quality in Beighle'spersonality. In one momenthe mightbe quietand softspo­ken with his f r i end s in theSheriff's department, and thenext moment he can be throw­ing rocks at the pickets.

A sworn statement statesthat one morning he broke awayfrom his usually cold and un­friendly attitude to approach atwe1ve year old gir ion thepicket line with the followingwords: "Couldn't yo u do betterin bed than on a picket line?Why don't we meet somewheretonight and find out?"

We are sure that his bark isworse than his bite.

\

After the trial was re­set, Johnny Giumarra, arecent law school gradu­ate acting as Quinlan's~elper, rushed in late,Immaculately dressed in adark blue suit.

When informed of thejudge's decision to post­pone the hearing, Giumar­rito said to Quinlan (ina stage-whisper loud e­nough to be heard in thevisitors' gallery), "Youmean a guy can get outfrom under a criminalcharge by going on ahunger strike?!"

Quinlan attempted tocalm his youthful assist­ant. "It's all right,!"he said, "it's all right'.'Oblivious to Chavez's se-'rlous condition, youngGiumarra pouted throughthe rest of the brief pro­ceedings.

Chuck Beighle

"Junior" Giumarr;

"HUELGA" ...THE FIRST 100 DAYSOF THE GREAT

by E. Nelson DELANO- GRAPE STRIKE

A thriliing account of the biggest farmstrike since the thirties, now going on.This book, 160 pages with many photos,is one you'll want to keep. $1.50'eaCh

14/EL

17" x:23"

ZAPATAPOSTER

hurts

1 Black on Red

S1.50

$2.50BASTA: photos

Zapata Posters

Mark the items you want, andsend the money, plus .25 forhand ling and pos tage, TO:FARM WORKER PRESS. Box 130,DELANO, CALIFORNIA 93215.

The boycottI.. ,' ~ ",'.' , .....

CORRIDO DE DELANO{The Story of the Strikeand march to Sacramento}RINCHES DE TEXAS{How the Texas Rangersbroke the Melon St~ike}EL CARCEL DE RIO GRANDE("The Rio Grande Jail" byTony Orendain & the TexasHuelguistas)EL ESQUIROL--HUELGA ENGENERAL("The Scab", "The GeneralStrike", by the TEATROCAMPESINO

SOllGS OF THE F'ARM 1.JORKE? STRIKES BOOKS, POSTERS "VIVA LA REVOLUCION'IN DELANO AND TEXAS

rcorridos, 45 rpm records, $1.00 HUELGAI by Nelson $1.50each, plus 25¢ handlinpJ

,-.; iLA RAZA UHIDA!

"LA RAZA UNIDA"Window Decals

$1 each, 6 for $5

INFERNO NEWSPAPER

321 FRIO CITY RD. - CA 7·7124SAN ANTONIO. TEXAS 711207

tJb1. KlJt~GAC~()~ .~,qC-l' !

Bay Area supporters of th6Farm Workers who shop at th6Co-ops can help the Union bbusing the Huelga Co-op #47947.

SAN FRANCISCO,Feb. 26-­In its February meetingthe Associated Farmers ofCalifornia demanded newlaws to halt the boycottagainst scab grapes.

They aim to strip thefarm worker of his rightto inform the public.

Speaking 0 u t of theother side of the Grow­ers' mouth, Giumarra andthe other struck Delanoranchers 0 f ten try togive the impression thatthe "boycott is- a joke-­it doesn't hurt us atall! "

Our research staff hasknown all alonQ exactlyhow badly the growers arestung by the boycott, butthis is the first timethey have given the ef--

fort formal and open rec-­ognition by petitioninQCongress and the statelegislature.

In a pre-fast interfiewwith Cesar Chavez, theUFWOC director said:

"Legal harrasment, gun­toting supervisors, frameups and direct violence~an by met by an increasein the boycott pressure.

"The researchers arenow looking into the en~

tire Giumarra operation."We are especially in _

terested in their pota­toes and wi ne, but wecould have an equallystrong impact on otherfruits, cotton, and eventhe oil wells which dottheir fields."

Giumarra Gets Off E',asy Again!

NlRA for Farm WorkersNeeds Help

WASHINGTbN. D~C.--A 10 percent of the na-bill to extend National tion's farms and 50 per-Labor Relations Act co- cent of the farm workersverage to farm workers At present UFWOC ishas finally passed the subjected to some of theHouse Education and La- restrictions of the NLRAbor Committee, chairman but none of the protec-Phil Burton (D-Cal.) an- tions. Coverage wouldnounced recently. mean the' ri!1ht to or!1a-

The Republican members nize and join laborhad boycotted the com- unions and the right tomittee meetings for se- collective bargainingveral weeks making a once a majority of thevote impossible. Signi- workers sign for theficantly the bill was r union. It will elimi-voted out in the first nate the necessity formeeting following the long and bitter strikesannouncement of the fast to gain simple recogni-of Cesar Chavez. tion as a bargaining a-

The bill. H.R. 4769, gent.now goes to the floor of Petitions urging\fi-Congress where it could nal passage of the rnea-easily be trampled. sure are being circula-

Passage demands full ted by the Citizens forattention and support of Farm Labor. a Californiaall friends of the farm based organization sym-worker, Union officials pathetic to the Cause.

j state. They ask that Anne Draper, secre-you write your congress- tary for the group, no-man while you are think- ted that persons holdingtng about the problem. the petitidns ought to

~Under H.R. 4769 NLRA bring them to Delano oncoverage would go to all Easter Sunrlay, when manyfarms with more than 12 visitors are expected.workers and more than They can be mailed to$10,000 annual labor P.O. Box 1173, Berkeleycost. This applies to she noted.' ,

If there was ever anydoubt that the law isfor the growers. withpenalties reserved forhe poor, that doubt was

~nded on March 11. Thecourts, the District At­torney and the growersgave a clear denonstra­tion of complete immuni­ty from the law.

Gijumarra Vi~eyards

~orporation and six ofits supervisory agents~reezed thro~gh thecourts in seven diff­rent actions invglving64 criminal counts. Theverdict:"41 counts dis­~issed~ 23 guilty. Thepena 1ryon the' 23 amount

ed to fines of $1495.~nd the sentence wasII. hen sus pen de d•

The charges werebrought by the KernCounty district attor-ney's office as long agoas August 15, 1967. Whenthey came to trial, D.A.Kit Nelson appeared asthe "prosecutor," . andJohn Giumarra, Jr. ap­peared. for the defense.

The two star nerfor­mers left little to imp­rovisation.

Most of the chargeswere based on the lackof sa~itarv facilities

,in the fields, the hir-ing of children, andworking minors beyondthe limits of the law.The crimes were given tothe D.A. for prosecutionby the labor department.

It may never be exp-

lained just why thecases were continued formost of- the year, or whyit took the D.A. himselfto go before the judgeto personally make themotions for dismissal.

The public is left,towonder over the factthat although Giumarrahad no defense and pleadguilty to twenty-threecrimes, he never had topay a penny.

Any Giumarra picketwould. pay more of a finefor a broken tail lightthan was paid for all 64criminal charges. Theneedle in the haystackwould be easier to findthan justice for thefarm worker in thecourts of Kern County.

Kern County justiceis a game between thegrowers and their of­ficials.

C~()~ ~,q&.4'!J'Bay Rrea supporters of th~

Farm Workers who' shop at theCO-OP$ can heLp the Union b:using' the lIueLga Co-op 1147947<

"BASTA:" ("Enoush"), The Tale of OurStruggle. Engl,sh ano--SpanTsh-rext.Photos by Geo~ge Ballis."Basta:" i~ a unique book, a photo­graphic essay on the battle for diq­niti in the fields of California. Thetext is from the historic Plan of De­lano, the proclamation of the farmworkers which was read at the ralliesas farm workers marched froM Delanoto Sacramento in 1966. There is anintroduction by Cesar Chavez. Thephotographer, George Ballis, has speAthis life in the San Joaquin Valley.He is ~ sensitive artist, in the tra­dition of Dorothea Lanoe, who trulycaptures the spirit of the Movement.$2.00

"HUELGA:" The First 100 ~ of theGreat Delano-Grape StrTKe,~ rugene'ffe'1'S'On •"HUELGA:" by Eugene Nelson remains thefinest account yet published on theearly days of the Delano Grape Strike.Nelson was a picket line Captain (andlater led the Union drive to orqanizethe melon fields of Texas) and writeswith intimate knowledge'of the originsand beginnings of the strike. Nelsonalso includes a brief biography andinterviews with Cesar Chavez and oth~r

Union leaders, and a history of theNational Farm Workers Association, thepredecessor of the United Farm WorkersOrganizing Com~ittee.

160 pages~ with illustrations byGeorge Ballis. In English only. $1.50.

~- ~

BLACK AND RED WALL POSTER, 11" x 23",'of Emi1iano· Zapata, with the bannerheadline, "V1VA LA REVOLUCION". Za­pata was the hero of the Mexican Revo­lution, who led the peasant.s Of, Cen­tral Mexico in their struggles forland and liberty.$1.50, plus 2'59 handling. 5 copiesfor $5.00

"EL ESQUIROL" ("THE STRIKEBREAKER")"HUELGA EN GENERAL" ("THE GENERALSTRIKE")~ 45 rD~ record.

Two of the finest sonqs to come outof the Delano Grape Strike, sunq bythe Teatro Camr~sino, the Farm WorkerTheater, Auqustin lira, Luis Valdez,David Alaniz, and Danny Valdez.$1.00~ plus 109 handlinp.

VIVA LAREVOLUCION

HUELGA~ by Nelson $1.50

BASTA: photos $2.50

Zapata Posters Sl.50

EL ESQUIROL--HUELGA ENGENERAL .("The Scab", "The GeneralStrike", by the TEATROCAMPESINO)

NAME _

ADDRESS _

CIT Y STATE _

Make Checks payabZe to the UnitedFarm Workers~ Box 130, DeZano~ Ca

EL MALCRIADO, April 1. 1968/3

CHAVEZ

KENNEDY

Chavez

visited Delano on March 10.~'1AUI:.RA

• "4'

Kennedy ChoosesdELANO, March 19--Cesar Chavez added his name to the

slate of delegates pledged to Robert F. Kennedyfor the upcomingnational convention of the Democratic party after an emergencymeeting of UFWOC leaders voted unanimously to approve theaction. .

On Tuesday, March 19, a 5 p. m. phone call from Kennedyrequesting Chavez as a delegate set the emergency in motion.The deadline for filing was immediate, and either response, toaccept, or reject the Kennedy offer would place the union on thespot.

Chavez called union ·officers, department heads and ranchcommitteemen together to hammer out the issue. The decisionwas a personal one, but Chavez stated "If I accept, the press andthe public will see it as an endorsement by the union"

"If I don't they will see it as· an act against Kennedy. We cannotdecidean endorsement or non endorsement. Every union membermust be able to vote on that.

"I want you to think about it, discuss it and decide it. YourdeCision will be my instructions, but I will expect every singleone of us to stick with the majority decision come what may.

"We will be in a fight together and that fight will demandwork. "

It took three hours for the 85 people to decide that CesarChavez should be National Convention Delegate for Kennedy, andthat the union should startan immediate massive voter registra­tion campaign. The unanimous vote marked the first time inhistory that a presi.deI!tlal candidate asked a farm worker to servein such a capacity. -For three hours Washington waited for thefarm workers' decision in Delano.The request came soon after Kennedy

''''''1.

4/EL MALCRIADO, April 1, 1968

Wirtz BowsFRESNO, March 23 -- The

son g and dan c e of SenatorGeorge Murphy set the stagefor a performance by LaborSecretary Willard Wirtz.

Murphy accused W ir tz ofmaking California "an experi­mental laboratory for com­plete farm organization, ir­respective of' the desires ofOUR FARM WOItKERS" (sic).

The issue was whether ornot the labor department wouldallow green card Mexican na-

tionals to be used as strikebreakers in agriculture.

The meetingwas held in theoffice of Congressman B. FA(f r ie n d of the farm worker)Sisko

Representatives of growergroups and their congressmenwere present to pi' e s s ur eWirtz into letting down all bp.rsagainst importing scabs fromMexico.

Wirtz performed for 45 mi­nutes. There is no record ofany concrete comtnittments'made by the labor secretary,

but Sisk, an anti-UFWOC con­gressman, called the meeting"very satisfactory and veryconstructive". The Agricul­tural Labor Bureau spokesman(a rancher outfit), termed themeeting "very productive".

ELM ALCRIADO SAYS: Ourunderstanding is that Presi­dent Johnson's se cretary of la­bor is supposed to see to it thatthe rights of labor are protec­ted, but judging from all theapplause he received, Wirtzmust have bowed to the gro- "wers quite a· bit.

by Fred Hirsch

They're monkeying with the farmworker labor force again. The braceroprogram wasn't· bad enough and thegreen card commuter program is notenough of a depressant to wages andconditions. Don Smith, animal psycho­log i s t, i s try i ng tot r ai n m0 nkeysan dapes to do harvesting.

He claims that the applications ofhis training for agriculture "are vir­tually unlimited." Smith plans tostart experiments soon in· strawberrypicking. '

Wouldn't the monkeys eat up all theprofits? Smith replies, "Of coursethey would if-you let them." The an­swer is to train the monkeys properly,using rewards instead of punishment.

"This works in reverse too. If youfeed strawberries to monkeys, all theycan eat, for four or five days beforesending them into the berry patches,they won't eat another strawberry aslong as they live."

Funny they should think of offeringrewa rds to monkeys. All the growe rsever think of giving to the farmworkeris punishment. There are even reportsof Giumarra workers who have beenfired after they were caught eating agrape.

Some growers who go "ape" over sucha program might be in for a surprise.It is not unlikely that some baboonwill notice that the harvesting ishard work. and once they have theirgrip on the industry they will surelyfind that there is less effort or in­telligence needed to Slt in a rancheswivel chair. Some unexpected re-placements might be in order.

"Short of hands,I've got four. • ."

Monkeyshines inthe fields

Governor ROll a.l d Reaganvisited Parlier two weeks agoto inspect the government'slatest "anti-poverty" project­in Fresno County.

The Governor visited theParlier Migrant Farm LaborCamp, a collection of 125 tiny"wooden - boxes", box - t Y Pehouses on Academy Avenue,for which farm workers aresupposed to be grateful.

"Instant slums" is how oneworker described the shacks,_crowded together in an almosttreeless, g r ass 1 e s s area.Workers must have a -letter ofrecomendation from their gro­wer bosses before they areallowed to live in such luxury.

Reagan was met by a crowdof about 200 people, most ofthem Fresno County farm wor­kers. They urged Reagan tovisit La Colonia de Par lier, orother real farm worker com­munities. But Reagan said hewas too busy.

Many farm workers carriedsigns, such as "Kennedy forPreSident", "Chavez for Go­vernor~', and "Reagan, go backto Hollywood. "

Easter

•In

Delano

-Celebrating the secondanniversary of the his­toric march to Sacra­mento, a sunrise serv­ice at the Forty Acres,followed b y a pot-luck _pi cnic at Lake Wool­lomes are planned forEaster Sunday in Dela­no.Member s, friends of

the Union an d guestsare invited to bring "a

_little more than enougH'food for their familiesto contribute to the pic­nic and swimming gear,and to s hare t his daywith us.

EL MALCRIADO. Aprl1 1. 1968/5

Poor Ronnie. Everytime he goes to visitthe poor people. hegets into trOUble.

Here he is shown inParlier with FresnoCounty Housing Au­thority directorFerquS CaMbern (left).

feelingsome kindsay what he

No telling. He doesn tto sign his name.sign himself "A FARM

local

papers

Our

Our local news~aper in Delano'is the Record. Itfrequently carries a column called "As I See It" byone George B. Keyzers. We don't happen to know Mr.Keyzers) but if that's how he sees it) we sug~est hefind someone to cure his myopia.

An example:"I'm goin~ to get me some followers--all farmers-­

and we're goin~ to r.et us a banner. It'll be a bi~

banner with an empty pocket sewn on it."And we'll start marchinR."Palm Sprin~s would be a nice place. It's not too

far) and it's nice and warm sittin~ in the sun there.Swimming pools) too."

Well, George, you're right, you know. It wouldbe nicer to march to Palm Springs than to Sacranento.And if we could find someone to do our work for us,we'd probably join you. That is, if sweaty workersare allowed to go to such places.

In the Record for March 26, George had this to say:"I think that if I'm going to carry anything at

all it would be a hoe."Thought maybe we'd chop a little cotton along the

way."Make a few bucks •"Reuther's $50,000 will be nice to have, but heck

Walter, we're willing to help. You don't have to doit ALL."

Reading how George sees it, we get thethat he figures the Farm Workers Union isof fraud, but if he had any coura~e, he'dthinks ••. if he does think •••

We admit that he's had only three years to examineus, and looking around Delano) at. our spacious air­conditioned offices) our fleet of late-model cars,our high salaries, and our sumotous cuisine, heprobably figures we are eettin~ rich from La Causa.

You see, George's thinking is so outmoded, heprobably figures a '48 Chevy is the latest car on themarket. --

But let's turn to the Bakersfield Californian, a"big-town sheet" by Kern County standards. Now theCalifornian recently ran a letter to the editor underthe banner "Labels Chavez and His Union 'The Biggest.Fake' ".

Who labels Caavez a fake?have the int~stin~l fortitude

Now the letter w~iter doesLABORER. "

Some exerpts from his letter:"A laborer is a laborer, just like a dog is a dog,

and you can't change~ into something they'renot." (Underlining ours.)

The letter (March 19) page 18) also included thislittle statement:

"The union isn't made up of farm workers. It's'made up of hippies, street walkers, bums and collegestudents."

Pretty unsavory combination, if you ask me. Es­pecially the last category. A university educationcertainly is a shameless thing.

Donald Harrell Fritts is the executive editor ofthe Californian. I'm the managing editor of theMALCRIADO, and I make it a practice of reading every­thing in the paper before we print it. Perhaps Mr.Fritts does the same. Berenice Chipman Fritts is thepresident of the Californian. I wonder if it isn'tshe who chose this quotation, which appears on thesame page:

"Thoughts for Today": ••• "Who does not slander withhis tongue, and does no evil to hi~ friend) nor takeup a reproach against his neighbor?--Psalms 15:3."

Seems like nobody any more. .George and Donald: if you have some specific

charges, make them. Innuendo is a coward's game.'- ....I. --David M. Fishlow

6/EL MALCRIAD.O, April lb 19'68

. funny

LOREDO ESPINOZA

EL MALCRIADO. April 1. 1968/7

Rent StrikeWins

Woodville labor camp.

a'iter two year s and tenmonths the Woodville-Linnellrent strike is won. The farmworker families stuck by theirguns, showing their strengthand patience until the end ofthe' 34-month battle with theTulare County Housing Autho­rity (TCHA).

According to Ernesto Lore­do, spokesman for the l' e n tstrike for the'last two years""They had us beaten severaltimes, but because the peoplewere tough we were able toforce l the hand of the Authority.

"We have shown them thatfarm workers are not weakjust bee a use we are 'poor.When we stick together for asingle goal, we have a powerequal to any. The TCHA hasthe backing of the growers, thecounty government, the backingof the state and federal govern­ments, but just a small orga ­nized group of huelguista farmworkers were able 'to demandOur rights and win. "

El Malcriado asked PabloEspinoza, second in commandon the rent strike, how theywon. t'lWe showed them a uni-

fied front and demonstrated tothem that we had the activesupport of all kinds of peopleall over the country, " he said.

"We really had very littlephysical strength. What theyfeared was the moral strengthof the' whole movement of or­ganized farm workers. "

The rent strike started inMay of 1965 with a demonstra,­tion in front of the TCHA inVisalia. In July the strikershada six-mile march from theLinnell Camp to the office ofthe Board of Supervisors whichwas joined by people from allover the state including someclergymen.

In the beginning there wereabout 200 rent strikers who.refused to pay a rent increasefrom $18 to $25 a month. -:rheyset up a bank accountand col­lected rents at the old rate.None of this rent money waspaid to the Authority until afterthe final settlement this March.

The rent strike brought theattention of the, Federal gover­nment, which drew up plans fora $1. 2 mill ion replacementhousing project, which, with

the settlement of the strike, isnow ready to roll.

, The final agreement betweenthe strikers and the HousingAuthority determined that

1. No striker will be dis­criminated against in the newhousing.

2. The old ho using willstand until the families canmove into the new project.

3. None of the back rent in­crease will be' paid by thosewho were on strike.

4. The new rent will be $20per month, lowering the rentfor even the tenants who werenot on strike.

5. There will· be no evic­tions even though the Authorityhas the legal right to evict thestrikers.

The two camps were builtin 1938 as free farm workerhousing by the federal govern­ment. They were planned astemporary housing, cos tin g$100 apiece to build. After tenyears the camps were leasedto a growers' association for$1 a year. The growers char­ged up to $5 a week per unit.

In 1950 the Feds turned theoperation over to the TCHAwho started building up profitson the rents. They have con­tin~ed profiteering until therent strike,

It is impossible to say howlong they would have exploitedfarm workers iithe people hadnot organized. For 15 yearsthey continued to gouge rentsfor the single room tin shacks

-without windows, inside wateror toilets.

The TCHA kept piling. upprofits even though the unitswere condemned by the healthdepartment with more than 51violations of the local codes"

"We may have never wonwithout the legal help of GaryBellow, attorney for the Cali­fornia Rural LegalAssistanceProgram, " Loredo noted.

8/El MAlCRIADO, April 1, 1968

Non-violence

and your vote

~ orgallized farm workers we are non-violent.We have said this by the thousands in our support of the union

at the Bakersfield courthouse last month.We have shown it ten thousand strong at the fiesta ending Cesar

Chavez' fast.We express the power of non-violence in the benefits of our

contracts. In Delano we continue the daily picketline despite thearms and provacations of Giumarra.

We live in a world of viole"nce. '1n the cities, police violenceagainst the people is standard.

The low pay, long hours, lack, of sanitation and child labor inthe fields does violence to our lives and dignity.

The Texas grower in the White House continues to escalateviolence against the farm workers of Vietnam, using our sonsto kill and be killed.

We use our strengthas a union against the moral and physicalviolence of the growers. We do so with some success.

If we really believe in non-violence we must use every toolwe have to reshape the 'violence with which we are faced. Wehave a basic non-violent weapon in the vote.

It can be, used to limit or end the violence which is done to us.It can be used to make our lives into happier lives, to make thelives of our children lives better than our own.

Cesar Chavez has said, "They have the power and they havethe money, but they are the few and we are the many." This istrue, but they also know the power of the ballot and they use it.

When the rich and the growers use the ballot they use it toshape the world the way they want it to be. They use it to putmen in power who will keep our kids in the fields and out of theschools, who will keep us struggling just to keep a roof over ourheads and beans on the table.

~ can use the vote to change our lives. We can use the votemore powerfully than the rich because there are more of us.Up till now {arm w'brkers and other poor people like us havenever registered to vote.

Because we have not used the vote the men in power have beenable to laugh us off and we have had only a weak voice.

Even if the ca,ndidates of the farm workers fail to win, ourvotes will put even the worst official on notice that he'd betterwatch out the second time around. We will have a voice whichis listened to and respected.

If we are to win with non-violence we must use the vote. Wemust register to vote, and we must be sure that all our friends,neighbors, co-workers, relatives and compadresare registeredto vote.

Your vote is one of the strongest weapons of non-violence.You will be defenseless on election day if you do not register.

It's timeDear Mr, Chavez:

I am a farm hand with afamily and live in SantaAna. We certainly are inneed of a farm union downhere as we still receiveonly Sl.40 per hour:

You have been doing agreat job up there aroundDe I ano fo r I've been read­ing about y~u nearly everyday. I f we had more menof your tenacity and pur­posefulness we would allbe better off. I heartilycommend you on your actionthrough non-violence. Ibel ieve sincerely that youare beginning to, give thefarm hand not only encour­agement but a chance forbetter I iving. I hopesometime in the future youcan find time to come downhere and help us in thisarea--we are in a section30 mi les south of Los An­geles, next to NewportBeach in Orange County.

The farmers in thisarea seem to think it isstill the old Bracero Eraand still treat the work­ers I ike dogs--wlthout be­nefits at all--pressurlngthem unmercifully and dol­ing out as little wage asthey can.

It's a pitiful situa­tion here and I am sureit is time for unions andthe U. S. government totake a hand in this deplo­rable situation and makethings bearable and equit­able.

I'm sure you agree witbme.

Sincerely, an admirer,

WILLIAM C. LISCHERSanta Ana, Calif.March 16, 1968

am still stooping and sweating in the sunBut now I have prideI am now paid as a manGone are the days of the timid, trained houndMy child will not understand

Man's PrideEL MALCRIADO, April 1, 1968/9

by F. Ricardo Gomez

~ong days of loneliness, and plightStinking brown sweat filtering through a mass ofuncut hair: .Entering sheepishly into the corners of my red,sun-swollen eyes

Enduring the f:urning,itching se.nsations so as notto break my rhythm nor my strideUnable to break t~e ~ypnotic sp~Zl

Developed to black-out the boiling sun, and forgetthe years of stooping-- -Like a loyal hound, instinctively my rough,calloused hands,search for #1's amidst" a field of ripened pumpkins.I hear grower s convincing each other as I near thetractorThese people want no other kind of workThey Were born to wander, to live and die happilywrestling fruits from stems and vines-Reacting. invisibly to the outsiders in camp-­Wondering why and what they offered in exchangeto photograph our lives--Others talk of escaping our chains of coolie wages-­Through a strike--Listening at first, because I know I wear trousersthat once belonged to one of them--I see my son in winter clothes in July--I try to understand their talk of opportunitiesAlMlough none had ever come--Except to some-- Crew le"aders--My fear is soon replaced by rage;As I see others like myself long denied ths right toliveLike other human beings~

So "often are trapped by acceptingsuperfioial contractsAnd grower advice--I join in a Huelga--

I

lO/EL MALCRIADO. April 1. 1968

Al Kistler and EdHaines. Asst. Dir­ectors of Organiz­ation of the AFL­CIO. lead workshopin Delano.

AFL·CIO Org,anizersFocus on UFWOC

The entire' organizational staff of the AFL­CIO in the western states zeroed in on Delanorecently for a three-day workshop conferenceon organizing. The conclave began the day fol­lowing the massive fiesta in Delano Merr.orialPark.

Larry Itliong, assistant director of UFWOC,introduced Ed Haynes and Alan Kistler to leadthe workshop. Kistler and Haynes are assis­tants to Bill Kircher, Director of organizingnationally for the AFL-CIO.

The first day's session was a rapid fire-giveand take on "How to build a strong union withwliat you have." Included in the discussionswere the entire organizing staff and all the of­ficers of UFWOC.

Every participant was given a chance to voicehis ideas on what elements were necessary forputting together a successful union. A list wascompiled and each item was explored in depthby the entire group.

During the discussion absolutely .nd'thing wastaken for granted. Every idea presented wastorn apart and then carefully pieced back toge-

ther. Many feelings were hurt and in the CO,llrseof the process, healed again.

Kistler and Haynes have both been in organi­zing activity for about thirty years. They pittedtheir combined know how against the more than400 combined years of farm work experience inthe room. The result was an amazing learningexperience for each participant, including theteachers.

On the last day of the 'workshop all the out oftown organizers were shown around the Delanostrike area.

That night in a general membership meetingLarry ItHong introduced the AFL-CIO organi­zers who spoke for a few minutes on their im­pressions of and their commitment to theDelanostrike.

According to Itliong, "These brothers and sis­ters are the people who are most responsiblefor the support we have gotten from the unions.Not only' have they organized support for us andthe boycott, over the years of our strike theyhave given us over thirty thousand dollars out oftheir own pockets. "

Blood 'bankor a member of your fam~

ily is sick and needsblood. tell your localdoctor or hospital thatyou are a Union memberand that the United FarmWorkers Blood Bank willreimburse their hospitalfor the blood needed orused. Then inform theRoger Terronez ClinicBox 671,. Delano. phone725-1281. The nurse atthe clinic will give youany other informationthat you need. The cli­nic will arrange to payyour hospital -for theblood you used.

continued on page 11

The United Farm Wor--kers Organizing Commit­tee has established a·"Blood Bank" for itsmembers. Anyone who hasever had a serious inju­ry or sickness knows thehigh cost of blood ($25a pint) if needed fortransfusions. The Unionmembers contribute bloodinto the .bank. ·Then.when a member needs someblood. it is available.at no cost.

Last year Lupe Pena.a member. was very sick.and needed many trans­fusions. Her brothers

serves mern1bersin the Union contributedtheir blood into theblood bank. so there wasno charge for the Penas.Union member Miguel Man­zano of Delano has beenquite sick and is inSpringville Hospital.He has needed severaltransfusions. The FarmWorkers Blood Bank has,provided the blood.

If you are a Unionmember in Napa. Hollis­ter. Livingston. Fresno.Tulare or Kern County.in Texas. or anywhere ~the U. S.. you can usethe blood bank. If you.

EL MALCRIADO. April 1. 1968/11

THREE LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU IN KERN COUNTY

egg bread and pastriesall kinds of donuts

french breadcakes for all occasions

\~AScb1000 "F" St.

758-5774

Caratanelected

Milan Caratan. of themulti-millionaire Cara­tan family of Delano andRichgrove. has been e­lected Chairman of theCalifornia Table GrapeCommission.

This Commission wassupposed to help smallqrape growers solve someof their problems andget better prices fortheir grapes.

But the Caratans seemto be the kind of grow­ers who think that thewav to solve the "farmpr~blem" is to keen thewages as low as possibleand keen the farm work­ers in poverty.

The small nrowers willnever get organized ifthey let the big growersand this type of 19thcentury thinking domi­nate their Grane Commis­sion.

The small growersneed a union; to protectthem frpm the qig grow­ers and to help them getfair prices for theirproduce from the bigcanning companies. dis­tributors. and buyers.

They ouqht to orga­nize . against thoseqroups which are takingunfair advantage of themand not aqainst the poorfarm workers who areeven wor.se off than theyare.

BAKERSFIELD630 Baker St.

323-4294

page 10

lA M(XICANABakeries

from

BLOOD BANK

DELANO407-1lth Ave.

725-9178

Continued

"g r e e n car d s" because theyknow that if the present situa­tion continues, U. S. un ion swill have to apply pressure toclose the border to all peoplewho m i...g h t undermine unionstandards. "

After two and a half hours ofhe ate d discussion the CTMmeeting ended with a unani­mous vote in support of the re­solution.

It is also importantfor Union members tocontribute blood to theblood bank. so that itwill have enough bloodfor any emergency.

If you are healthy.you should contributeblood at least once ortvdce a year.

Go in to the HouchinCommunity Blood Bank.2601 "G" St.. Bakers­field. California. andtell the nurse that youare from the Un~ted FarmWorkers and that you~

want to donate to theUnion blood bank. Orcall the Clinic for in­formation on how you canqonate.

CTM cooperatesTIJUANA, March 13 -- The

Confederacion de Trabajado­res Mexicanos (CTM), the na­tional labor federation of Me­xico held a regional meetinghere today to take its first stepto put a stop to strikebreakingby "green card" migrants. inthe U. S.

The meeting was arrangedby Domingo Garcia Ulloa, In­ternational Co ordinator forCTM in cooperation with Hec­tor Reyes and Fred Martinezof the United Farm WorkersOrganizing Committee. Themeeting marked a new kind ofinternational labor cooperationon an issue of vital concern tounion members on both sides'<\f the border.

Spearheading the action fora resolution caning for "activeand full coo per a t ion withUFWOC to keep Mexican farmworkers from scabbing in theU. S. ", were Roberto Luevano,General Secretary of the CTMCentral Council in Tijuana, andhis brother Evangelino Lueva­no, CTM General Secretaryfor Baja California.

TV and newspaper un ionleaders made a special point toinsert wording in the resolu­tion which would call for athorough campaign of educa­tion and pu blicity on th e issueto be carried out both insidethe unions and in the mass me­dia.

According to Fred Martinez,UFWOCorganizer in San Ysid­ro, "Many of the 250 delegatespresent were quite interestedi~ finding ways to place penal­ties and sanctions on any CTMmembers who were identifiedas scabs on U. S. ranches.

"The C T M people want tocontinue the greencard pro­g ram because it introducesU. S. dollars into their verydepressed ec'onomy, andserves as a relief valve for anofte n overwhelming problemof unemployment.

"As trade unionists, CTMleaQ~r s wan t to curtail anystrikebreaking, but they areparticularly interested in the

Itliong'sues

Larry Itliong, assistant di­rector of the Un it e d FarmVVorkers and a leader of theFilipino community in Cali­fornia, is suing the John BirchSociety and its founder, Rob­ert VVelch, for $2,000,000.

In June, 1966, the Birchersand their newspaper accusedItliong of being affiliated withthe Communist Party. A JohnBirch Society booklet, called"The Grapes", is full of suchabsurd charges ..

:rhe trial of the Bircherswas moved to L. A. last monthand Itliong is hopeful thatjils­tice will be achieved.

Meanwhile, Union attorneyJerry Cohen has indicated thathe may soon launch a seriesof new libel suits against va­rious Delano and Bakersfieldarea women and a BakersfieIdradio station for continuouslytelling lies about the Union, 'itsmembers, and its leaders.

VVhenever poor people' tryto improve themselves, somebegin screaming "Commies !".

The Union has been red­baited for three years. Thenthe charge became "violence."

Itliong's suit maybe instru­mental in teaching responsi­bility to some of the "accu­sers."

/~-'----t

SUaSt~liE

[~ ~~te.R'~bO., a.~O/YQAft..·

"

1968....-------------------....

'Health & vve'lfareUFVVOC officials are hopeful that details of

the Union's "Health andVV elfare Fund" programwill be worked out before harvests begin in July,according to UFWOC negotiations director Dolo­res Huerta.

Marshall Ganz, assistant director of negotia­tions, told E L MALCRIADO recently that one ofthe principal difficulties in setting up the healthinsurance program has been the resistance ofthe growers to the ,idea of a single program forall Union members.

Under. tlW contracts negotiated by UFVVOCduring th~"ast two years, employers contributefrom five' fo ten cents per hour per worker forthe fund, over and above wages paid.

During the peak work season, approximately$5.40 a week f6r each worker is, paid into thefund. . .

Some employers have argued for separateprograms, stating they preferred to set up a .separate fund for each ranch of the company.

Noting the high expense of administrating themany separate programs, Union members andofficials have insisted that a single fund be setup.

Eventually to be included in the program willbe hospital and sickness insurance, pensions forretired workers, and insurance for workers in­jured and unable to work.

The advantages of such a program over wel­fare and other government hand-outs are obvious,Mrs. Huerta pointed out.

"If separate pr ograms are set upat each rancqmuch of the money available for worker benefitswill be eaten up by administrators' salaries, ByprOViding a single plan, more money will beavailable to help the workers, " she said.

Almaden Ranch workers in Hollister, Califor­nia, recently wrote to the company urging theemployers to cooperate in the speedy completionof details so the funci can begin operation.

UFVVOC offiCials have also pointed out thatseparate programs for each ranch would' meanthat the Union would have to pay for insurance.By combining all the programs into a single one,enough workers will be covered for the fund tobe operated independently, without the need topay an insurance company.

Ganz told a'Delano membership meeting onThursday, March 21, that negotiations with theemployers would continue during the next coupleof weeks .

-

. I

"Nobody ought to compLamuntil they've tried the ranchcommittee. They can solvealmost ariy"problem a workermight have, and there is no­thing that we ~an't all face to­gether. "

MACK LYONS AND FAMILY

farm workers in California had this, I think. "Farm workers are excluded from the unem­

ployment insurance law. When they are laid off--no moneyo .•

In other industries, employers pay a certainamount of money per week per worker to theState Unemployment Insurance fund.

Then, if some of the workers get laid off, theycan collect unemployment benefits because theyare covered by this insuranceo But growersdon't have to contri.bute for their workers, sofarm workers are not protected by this insuranceprogram.

When the workers won a contract with DiGior­gio, the Union demanded that DiGiorgio pay hisworkers unemployment insurance. If a workerearns $880 during a three-month period, he willbe el igible for unemployment insurance benefits.

Workers who worked for DiGiorgio last sum­mer in the harvests are now receiving theiie un­employment benefits. This is not we lfare. Thisis a benefit that Union members have won andearned! That's where the $3. 50 UFWOC <luesare going.

EDUVIGES LUGO

The asparagus harvest is in full swing at thehuge DiGiorgio Ranch in Arvin and Lamont, southof Bakersfield, according to UFWOC represen­tative Mack Lyonso

Lyons reports that over 200 workers are em­ployed at the ranch at present, the largest groupbeing asparagus pickerso The workers.are get­ting 68~, 75~ or $10 00 a box, on a piece rate ba­sis, in the asparagus, he said.

There is some discussion over whether. theworkers want piece rate wages (as the companyprefers), or an hourly, or hourly plus bonus rate,so the scale may be changed in the near future,Lyons noted.

But for the hundreds of DiGiorgio workers whowould not get work this winter, there was alsogood news. For perhaps the first time in his­tory, farm workers protected by the Union con­tract were·getting unemployment insurance.

It was not much, only $32 to $45 a week, buteven that means a lot during the winter ~

"The workers ate very proud of this, " saidLyons. "They realize this is po s sib 1e onlythrough the victory of their Uhion. No othet

They Won It · They Get ItEL MALCRIADO, April 1,1968/13

Ranch -Committee' (Iected......~~~""'!'""~~~~~DiGio~gioworketsvotedhve-·cofnes up that a man can''£.new members to their ranch solve, he takes it'to his st~-

committee last week. Guada- ward or to any cqmmitteeman.. lupeR-angel, Lupe P erez,~ Tom If a man's not satisfied or if it

Long, Bill Ketcher and Manuel can't be solved by the steward,Ramirez were newly chosen to then the ranch committee takesworkwithre-elected members over."Eduviges Lugo and Gene Rus- Maree Fernandez, secretarysell. at the Lamont office, suggests

In describing the duties of that workers call the Union of-the ranch committee, . Lugo, fice any time they need help1e ad e r of the Puerto Rican and can't get in touch with aworkers said: "If a man has committeeman. She noted thatany problem on the job, that's "The Union is here to solveour pro b 1em. If something problems and get better wor-

.. king cond~tions.

14/EL MALCRIADO. April 1. 1968

Public defenderEAKERSFIELD, March 20-­The Board of Supervisors haveinstructed Kern County Attor­neyRalph B. Jordan to write anew law establishing a publicdefender's office.

According to published re­ports, the new office is suppo­sed to be open on July L

The public defender's officeis a "s e r vic e" provided bymany counties to the poor,

The purpose of the office is toprovide free legal service andlawyers to poor people who getinto trouble with the law andcannot afford to pay an attor­ney.

In many cases, however, thecounties provide so little mo­ney to run the public defender's

office that there are not enoughlawyers to handle the cases ofthe many poor people who needhelp.

What happens is t ha t theperson who gets into troublespend.s hours and hou~s wait­ing to see the representativeof the public defender's office,has to fi 11 out long applications,swear that he has nothing worthselling and nowhere to borrowthe money for a lawyer,

After all the humiliation andtime lost from work, .the per­son usually gets only the sket­chiest help. The overworkedlawyer has on ly a few minutesto spend on each case, and canonly prmride a minimum of ad­vice.

KecentLy a member of theUnited Farm Workers ran afoulof the law in Gilroy, havingbeen arrested on a traffic vio­lation.

His btothers in the field tookup a collection toraise the bail.money, The man did not have ..a steady job; his wife was preg­nant; there were several smallchildren in the family,

After he was bailed out, heasked if he could see the putlicdefender in Santa Clara County.The lady at the court said tocome back in two hours,

After sitting outside on thelawn for two hours, the mancame back.. He waited another half anhour, and then they told himthat he couldn't see the lawyer- -he would have to go to SanJose, 50 miles from his home,the following day.

He went to San Jose, missingthe chance to work that day,and after spending six hours inthe public defender's office,they told him they would nothelp him.

If you figure the time lostfrom work at $15,00, and thetransportation at $3.00, plusthe time of the UFWOC inter­preter who accompanied him toSan Jose, you can see that thepublic defender actually costthe man about $40, 00, and gavehim qo help at all.

:::e:L MALCRIADO SAYS: Wehope that the Kern County pub­lic defender's office will not beas bad as the Santa Clara of­fice.

If farm workers made decentwages, they could take care of~heir own legal problems.

Instead of creating new in­adequate hand-outs, public of­ficials should concentrate onraising the wages paid to farmworkers,