Filipino workers in Coachella Valley in early 1965 were upset with the wages they received and decided to take action. The strikers were mostly 50-60 year old Filipino men, who had nothing to lose, as they had no families. The men went on strike at 7 different vineyards, and violence ensued. After about a week, the companies gave in and increased wages. The strike was small, and impacted only a few 100 workers, but it was a protest against unscrupulousness that worked. The fact that the strike succeeded inspired community leaders in Delano to try to have a strike of their own, and the Delano grape strikes started a few weeks later.
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Image Citation:
Guillermo, Emil. “A Picture of Larry Itliong, One of the Leaders of the Coachella and Ultimately, the Delano Strikes.” Eclipsed by Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong's Story Now Emerges, 8 Sept. 2015, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/eclipsed-cesar-chavez-larry-itliongs-story-now-emerges-n423336. |
“It was basically put up or shut up...They
went out and basically forced everyone into action. That credit belongs to the Filipinos – the brothers.” ~ Paul Chavez, son of Cesar Chavez |
"They set the stage for everything...Nobody showed the kind of conviction these men did."
~ Paul Chavez, son of Cesar Chavez |