Video: History Grape Boycott (ok)

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>> Very low pay, very harsh working conditions
existed for farmworkers across the board.

One of the largest products, however,
coming out of California was the grapes.

So strikers were making this
movement for justice,

fair wages, and safe working conditions.

>> For me, the importance is that the Filipinos
workers are the ones who began the strike.

I'm from Delano, and I was, yeah,
I have seven brothers, sisters.

And five of us were born in a labor camp.

So we worked in the fields.

You know, our home was surrounded by grapes.

>> Boycotting grapes affected global
markets because California supplies so much

of the global market's fruits and vegetables.

So organizing with the grapes first.

Right? And against, particularly, well-organized
growers, and the corporations that bought grapes

from these growers was an
extremely important stride,

not just for farmworkers,
but for labor in general.

>> It was about two weeks after the strike
began that Larry the Filipino leader knew

that they couldn't win the strike by themselves.

So at that point, they had gone to
Caesar and ask Caesar to join them.

And that was the beginning, you know,
of the two unions coming together.

I mean, they were risking their livelihood.

They were risking their homes.

You know, well, they lived in labor camps.

I don't know if you would call those homes,
but they're risking having a place to live,

or they didn't have families that they
could fall back on to take care of them.

They were risking a lot.