Pesticides

Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid the Farm Workers Records

drice — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:01:52 -0400

The Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm Workers was a branch of the National Farm Workers Ministry. NFWM began in 1920 as a ministry of charity and service, providing food, clothing and day care to the farm workers. When United Farm Workers founder César Chávez began organizing in the 1960's, he called on the religious community to change its emphasis from charity to justice. NFWM became the vehicle for people of faith to respond to that call.

The collection consists of newspaper clippings and pamphlets detailing the struggles of the UFW during much of the 1980s.

UFW Administration Department Records

drice — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:05:34 -0500

United Farm Workers grew out of several farm workers organizations of the 1960s and was led by Cesar Chavez for over thirty years. The Administration Department records reflect the wide range of people and groups with whom the UFW corresponded. The work of the union itself is well represented, including U.S., Canada, and Europe boycott files, El Malcriado files, and negotiations with southern California grape growers.

Part 3 of the records represent the second decade of the union’s progress toward the goals of improving wages and working conditions for farm workers. Included are major legal cases, including UFW vs. Teamsters, UFW vs. DiGeorgio, and the Blythe Massacre; boycotts, including the Lettuce Boycott and Grape Boycott; and correspondence, including Cesar Chavez personal correspondence.

UFW California Boycott Records

kschmeling — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:43:28 -0400

The primary mission of the UFW California boycott offices was to alert the nation that farm laborers were looking for civil rights, as well as fairer wages. Cesar Chavez, president of the United Farm Workers Union believed that a non-violent boycott of grapes and lettuce would convey the message. The two main city offices were located in Los Angeles and San Francisco. These offices were primarily concerned with organizing letter-writing campaigns to growers, distributors (with special attention given to Safeway stores), and public officials. In addition, boycott organizers coordinated picketing campaigns against local stores for selling boycotted grapes and lettuce, and solicited support from local religious organizations, universities and labor unions.

The records of the California boycott offices mainly consist of coordinators’ files, leaflets, grape and lettuce reports, legal actions against pesticide usage, and correspondence from boycott support organizations. Also, files documenting the attempt to defeat a California farm labor initiative, Proposition 22, is also prevalent throughout the collection.

UFW Hawaii Boycott Committee Records

drice — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:31:46 -0500

The Hawaii Boycott Committee of the United Farm Workers was formed in the latter part of 1968 under the auspices, and with the support, of the Hawaii AFL-CIO. The collection documents its function to promote the boycott of California table grapes throughout the state of Hawaii.

UFW Information and Research Department Records

drice — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 10:56:32 -0400

The UFW grew out of several farm workers organizations in the 1960s and was led for over thirty years by Cesar Chavez. The Information and Research Department serves as the research center for the union, collecting materials of interest in many areas importantin to the organization. Their records reflect the range of services which the union provided for its members, including legal and immigration assistance, workman's compensation claims, healthcare, and grievance mediation. Other subjects include: boycotts; contract negotiations; strikes; Teamsters dispute.

UFW Office of the President: Arturo Rodriguez Records

drice — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:28:09 -0400

Arturo Rodriguez became president of the United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1993 upon the death of Cesar Chavez, co-founder and president of the UFW from its start and Rodriguez’s father-in-law and mentor. Rodriguez was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1949 and attended Catholic schools there. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1971 and a Masters degree in social work from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1973.

Rodriguez learned of Cesar Chavez’s work for farm workers from his parish priest in 1966 and became involved in the UFW’s grape boycott while in college. Thereafter, Rodriguez worked with the UFW and, after graduating from the University of Michigan, Rodriguez went to work full time for the UFW, initially organizing boycotts. His work with the UFW has included organizing boycott efforts, organizing union representation elections, teaching classes on union organizing, negotiating and administering union contracts, working on providing union services and settling worker grievances, campaigning for ballot propositions and political candidates, and serving on the UFW’s executive board.

Upon becoming president of the UFW, Rodriguez led a significant new field organizing and contract negotiating drive, adding substantial numbers of members to the UFW. During his presidency the UFW has also campaigned for new laws and regulations protecting farm workers, including immigrant workers, and sought to provide representation to farm workers by providing them with benefits and services through the UFW.

The UFW Office of the President: Arturo Rodriguez Records consists of files maintained by the UFW president’s office while both Cesar Chavez and Arturo Rodriguez served as president and includes files of collective bargaining agreements, events attended by the president and other UFW officials, public actions undertaken by the UFW, the president’s correspondence, the UFW’s constitutional conventions, the operations of the UFW’s benefit and service organizations, and UFW organizing and boycott efforts, as well as general office correspondence and phone logs for a number of UFW officers. There are also research publications. Files from Arturo Rodriguez, predating his election as president of the UFW are included.

UFW Pennsylvania Boycott: Philadelphia Office Records

kschmeling — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 13:55:55 -0400

The files contained within the UFW Philadelphia boycott collection, parts 1 and 2, reflect the activities of the Philadelphia office with organizing local support of the national boycott of California table grapes, lettuce, and later, Gallo wine. The boycott office primarily concerned itself with organizing letter writing campaigns to the growers, distributors (with special attention given to A&P), and public officials, and checking the local stores for boycotted grapes and lettuce. Attempts were made to influence these markets and the public not to purchase grapes and lettuce. The national boycott was organized by the United Farm Workers located in California.

UFW Public Relations: Jocelyn Sherman Records

drice — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:48:48 -0500

After college, Jocelyn Sherman started at the United Farm Workers (UFW) as a public relations representative and has been with the UFW for over 20 years. Sherman served as a documentary photographer for the UFW and as manager of the UFW’s public relations department before becoming the UFW’s Internet Communications Director.

Sherman’s records consist of the UFW public relations department’s files from 1988 to 2001 and reflect her work with UFW campaigns during that era, including grape boycotts, organizing campaigns, raising awareness of the consequences of pesticide use, and fund-raising. The records cover public relations department administrative matters and persons and subjects of interest to the department and the UFW. The records also contain newspaper clippings of articles referencing the UFW, its members, campaigns, and other activities, and people and subjects of interest to the department and to the UFW.

UFW Publications

kschmeling — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 14:29:30 -0500

UFW Publications is primarily comprised of serials and unique publications created by, or collected by the United Farm Workers of America, the National Farm Worker Ministry and support organizations, which assisted the UFW with its cause. Included in the collection are convention proceedings dating back to the official inception of the UFW, constitutions, bylaws and serials.

UFW Publications is an artificial collection, its contents have been pulled from other UFW collections and UFW related collections to create a single grouping of farm labor publications.

UFW Support Committee of the World Justice and Peace Center Records

kschmeling — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 15:35:59 -0400

The UFW Support Committee of the World Justice and Peace Center was formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1971 to lend religious support to the Wisconsin boycott. The committee was set up by the Capuchin Order of Franciscans and consisted of five Milwaukee-based religious communities that worked closely with the UFW Wisconsin state coordinators to publicize the plight of the striking farm workers. The support committee’s primary purpose focused on donation solicitation and picket and rally support.

The files consist of mass mailings of informational materials, UFW publications and articles focusing mainly on the grape and lettuce strikes, and in particular the struggles with the Teamsters Union.

UFW Virginia Boycott Records

kschmeling — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 14:02:50 -0500

The Virginia Boycott office was set up by the United Farm Workers to handle the organization of boycotted products and/or establishments in the State of Virginia and its surrounding region. The office dealt mainly with the boycotting of stores, which sold non-union products or were involved in anti-union activities. As well, the office involved itself with other UFW interests including migrant workers, illegal aliens, pesticide control, and the lobbying for or against specific legislation being proposed at the state and federal levels.

(31873) Posters & Graphics, Boycotts, Pesticides, New York, 1976

eclemens — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 09:53:00 -0400

“Boycott Grapes; Protect Your Family From The Scourge Of Pesticides”

A poster in support of the UFW grape boycott and detailing a planned rally with Cesar Chavez at Herald Square in New York City.

Image depicts a trio of frowning human skulls.

Cooperative Builder

kchinery — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 11:13:39 -0400

Processed. Bound volumes: 1935-1936. Superior, Wisconsin.