Professional Documents
Culture Documents
El Malcriado March 23 1973
El Malcriado March 23 1973
FLORIDA
WORKERS TWO CHILDREN
SUFFERING FROM
TYPHOID FEVER_
-
;. :
-- _ I
EL MALCRIA[)O: Concretely, how are farm CESAR: Every movement must have its ins-
,varkel's responding to the attempts by the trument for education and information. We have
Teamsters to force them to sign up with them? seen how other movements rely on the press. -
A movement's press dedicates itself to educate,
CESAR: They are fighting back. We have been in our case, farm workers.
able to send in our organizers to ,give them the EL MALCRIADO has an extremely important
moral support and help they need. Mnay farm role to fulfill because it is the only way in which
workers prefer to be fired than to sign up with we can inform our people about the truth of
the Teamsters. They know that to sign that events. The conventional press is not always
card and join the Teamsters means that the interested in what we are doing. When it does
labor contractors will continue to exploit them become interested it cannot give all of the dc··
and the machines will come right in. tails of particular events and sometimes. even
What the growers and Teamsters want to sides with, the opposition.
do is to destroy the democratic distribution of The position of EL MALCRIADO in the move··
jobs , based on seniority, that is carried on ment is as important as our union organizers.
by our hiring halls and to leave the labor con= There are three great weapons in the move--
tractors in complete control of the jobs. ment: the strike the boycott and EL
Growers don't want the hiring hall because MALCRIADO.
it forces them to be fair in the hiring of wor-
kers. But if we let the Teamsters enter the
picture, so -will the labor contractors, and they E L MALCRIADO: Brother, do you have some
will destroy everything we have won in terms final words for farm workers and our suppor-
of protecting the dignity and the rights of wor- ters?
kers, and then, will come the machines because
the Teamsters will not fight the machines, just CESAR: For farm workes. just as we have
as they don't fight the reckless use of dangerous said since we started this movement 11 years
pesticides.. . ago, we have go to go all the way. There is
We must understand why the Teamsters don't no way the growers an.d Teamsters can beat
make their contracts public. They won't show us. Because the power we have comes from
their conI'acts. They pass out "fact sheets" the truth.
about their contracts, but no the complete con- The truth inspires us to sacrifice, the truth
tracts because in them is the sellout. gives us the support of the churches and other
unions and people in general. The truth gives
EL MALCRIADO: After your journey across the farm workers the strength and the coura~e to
country, how do you think the public is responding continue fighting.
to the boycott of Safeway and A&P? The truth, then, is making the growers and
Teamsters extremely uncomfortable because
CESAR; The people in the cities, the urban they have to misrepresent themselves and
industrial workers, the churches, the smdents, because they have a case full of lies. The
the minority groups such as chicanos, and blacks, truth is a tremendous weapon. The truth
are sUp\;ortin.g us more strongly now than during brings justice, and thrist for justice creates
the Grape Boycott. VIle have tremendous La Causa and people invo.lved in La Causa
support. will be victorious.
Poisoned Lettuce
LOS ANGFLJ·:S, California-<>A suit seeking
to prevent the sale in California of lettuce
contaminated with the nerve gast pesticide Moni-
tor 4 was tiled l\larch 11. San Francisco Su-·
perior Court against major supermarketchains. "Tests reported by an independent labor- doses it induces headaches, dizziness, nausea
wholesale distributors, and the pesticide's man·~ atory, Agri-Science Laboratories of Hawthorne, and convulsions. Chemically it is c.losely re-
u[actuers. California, as recently as l'ebruary 23 show lated to the nerve gases developed by the Na-
Los Angeles area anu national firms named more than twice the established tolerance for zis in World War II. .
in the class action suit, which seeks $100 th is lethal pesticide on lettuce purchased from Grabill concluded~ G'We are in court because
million damages in addition to an injlIDction Los Angeles Ar'ea stores:' he continued. the government has not taken the most ele-
prohihiting sale of the contaminated lettuce. ''It is outrageous that those agencies set mentary Steps to protect the public. Just as
are Safeway, AJpha Reta, and Market Basket up tu protect the public act instead to pro- in the recent report by Legislative Analyst
and the manufactuers Chevron Chemical Co. tect corporate interests. It is doubly outrageous A. Alan Post, 'licensees have at the present
and Chemagro, a subsidiary of Rayer Asprin. that the giant retailers like Safeway and Market time little reason to believe' they will be pun-
According to David Grabill, attorney for the Basket place their customers' health in danger ished for violation of pesticide regularations.
plaintiff Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm by their own refusal to adequately test the declaring. that the Department of Agriculture
Workers. "Food and Drug Administration te~ lettuce." Grabill concluded. is caught between promoting the agriculture
ti.ng for pesticide contamination has been proven Monitor-4 is a newly developed pesticide industry and watching over its use of chemicals.
woefully inadequate, and poisoned lettuce has first marketed in April, 1972. Three one- Weare determined that this kind of chel1lical
been sold throughout California continuously thousandths of an ounce on his skin is enough experimentation on food will no longer be at
since December. to kill a ISO pound man. In less than lethal the expense of farm workers and consumers."
Alberto I·:strad:l. Vice President of th.e Ranch Our sisters and brothers from the Vie Del Vie Del Union members urge all farm wor-
CommittC'c at the Vic J)el Company in Fresno Company come out to picket every Sunday kers to help picket Safeway so that the lettuce
C aunt) gives fin:ll instructions to D. Ma. Mer .. dnl! say they will do so until Safeway decides growers will sign with the Union soon.
eeL! FJotte, Kathy S. J:rente and Julia G:lrcia not to se1rscab lettuce. No cars enter the
(left to ri~ht). Safew3y parking lot s' the boycotters convince
shoppers to support the boycott.
J. Pierrot
UNION SUES StfEWAY FOR DECEIVI~ FUBLIC La Boheme
;",/<"~.",",,,~.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;~,,,,.,,,o,,,,,,~~,,,,. ".... ~ -'" •..~",., ''''''<c,''''. 'Cresta'Blanca-"
:- . • . .. ~ \ .' 1 _.' ,
Mendocino
The public is being deceived and the struggle ',iceberg lettuce sold, by l>Safe'way is Onion- ~ ,-{ . Ga'rrett'
of farm! . workers is being misrepresented.,: . harvested. Alta
by Safeway Stores. according to an $11.5 million ' , "Safewa:y is deliberately' di'Storing the facts Virginia
suit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Cout.in an effor'tto subver-r the Union's lawful and· Virginia Dare,
The suit was brought by the United Farm peaceful boycott of Safeway, Mr. Nathan con~ Lodi
Workers because Safeway's advertising. cam- eluded. The giant supermarket chain has been . : - ,_ La Mesa-{Safeway only)
- .-). :.)," "__ . 'J~' .- ,~.-
paign claim~ that all its lettuce is •'union under boycott by Union supporters for the last
VINOS f:SPECIACES i
harvested" and that the" lettuce controversy" two months.· Safeway officials have admitted
is really a jurisdictional labor dispute. that business has declined as a result of Ocean Spray Cranberry. Rose
Sanford N. Nathan, a Union attorney, said. customer turnaways by $5,000 per store per Vin Glogg(Parrott & Co.)
"The suit asks for an immediate injunction week.
to prohibit Safeway from displaying any' signs
advertising, in the media, or alleging in any
way that Safeway lettuce is union-harvested.
r---------------------;
SHEI.l. VINOS ESPUMANTES
Winemasters' Guild
Cook~
Cook's Imperial
.
"Safeway is willfully disrega.rding a recent
California Supreme Court decision by claiming Roma Reserve
claiming that growers who signed "sweetheart IS UNrAIR TO LABOR Cribari Reserve
contracts" with the Teamsters are selling and American oil companies have signed new labor con- Jeanne D'Arc
distributing union-harvested lettuce." On De- tracts providing health and safety clauses. pension improve- La Boheme
ments and a p'lanfor top-level review of pension plans. Ceremony
cember 29,1972, the Court ruled that the Teams-
ters did not represent a majority • or even The Dutch/British Shell Company has refused even to Versailles
a substantial number, of farm workes lmder negotiate with its American employees on these SUbjects. Cresta Blanca
the contracts, inasmuch as growers or the Saratoga
Teamsters never consulted the farm workers PLEllSE J. Pierrot
tllemselves. DO NOT BUY Shell Products LICORES
Another cause of action in the Union suit Ceremony
charges that Safeway has violated the Cali- If you have a Shell credit card, please return it to
Guild Blue Ribbon'
fornia Civil Code section which prohibits un- Shell Oil Company, P. O. Box 80, Tulsa, Okla.
Roma
fair business practic,es. Mr. Nathan stated, OIL, CHEMICAL and ATOMIC WORKERS St. Mark
•'The United Farm Workers have become highly Citation
visible, well-known and Widely supported. We
Inlet-nalional Union, AFL·CIO
Old San Francisco
This consumer boycott is directed only against
find it particularly reprehensible that Safeway products o'f Shell Oil and Shell Chemical com- Parrott V. S.
should try to trade on the goodwill of . the p,~njes,
and not against independent mer-
chanfs"·~e'lli'l~g.these products.
public toward farm workers by claiming to
stock Union lettuce when very little, if any ........
March 23" 1973 EL MALCRIADO 7
Union Charges at Wild Pestieide He,arings
LOS A1';CFj~JES, California·--Hearings into the shipment and sale of to the regulations in question. so that the Union's charges would by mad "Consumers all over the country have been sold this poisoned stuff," pointed out that the "reconditioning" process cuts both ways. If it is,
lettuce contaminated with the pesticide Monitor-4 exploded here March while the press was still present. They returned,' Ms. Honorof agre Cohen continued. "The legal tolerance for Monitor-4 is one part per possible to bring lettuce within the legal tolerance by stripping away
9, with Union representatives, pesticide manufacturers, Assembly men. to the changes and the hearings resumed. . million. On February 23 the Food and Drug Administration sent a lete r outer leaves, that means that those leaves have a much higher concen-
public health officials and consumer experts all trading verbal punches. The first witness was Claude Finnell, Imperial County Agricultural to Ms. Honorof concerning some contaminated lettuce sold to the U. S. tration than the rest of the head,·,,·"perhaps as much as fifty or 100 parts
The State Assembly select Committee on Agriculture. Food and Nut- . Commissioner. who defended himself by saying that "if this type Navy. In their. letter ,'they admit that. 2.5 parts per million were found per million, in contrast to the legal limit of one part per millionfo
rition had called the hearings to investigate the' pesticide contamination. incident had occured anywhere but in California, it would have go , dn that lettuce, but that the action taken was simply 'U.S. Navy notified.' the entire head," Cohen said. "People take those outer leaves and make
of portions of the Imperial Valley lettuce crop this winter and had just undetected and unreported." Union Attorney Cohen was later to char~ What does that mean? Does that mean the sailors ate that lettuce? a salad out of it," Cohen pointed out, "and at those kind of contamination
heard Assembly Speaker Bob Moretti as its first witness when Ida that Finnell deliberately withheld informatim on the scandal in an "On January 16 in Rochester, New York, it says 6.5 parts per million-- levels, it could be very dangerous:' -
tIonorof,. ·consumer advocate. on Los Angeles radio station KPFK charged apparent attempt to cover it up. that's six and a half times the tolerance. The. comment the, FDA h::s ,.~. The Eederal Environmental Protection Agency, w~ich is in chargEt .
to the witness table to protest the agenda. "Contrary to the official position." Cohen told the Committee," e 'on that letter is. 'none available for seizure'. That means the pUblic of testing and registering pesticides for use, also came under fire.
"These hearings would have never been held if I had not broken this charge that responsible agencies knew lettuce was contaminated wi in Rochester. New York ate it. "I think I know how they test this stuff," Cohen said. "I think what the
story on KPFK," she shouted at Chairwoman March Fong, "and here Monitor··4, knew farm workers were harvesting it, knew.it was bein "On January 17, Chelsea, Massachusetts, 3.6 parts per million of do is they let the chemical companies test it, then they take the chem-
you have scheduled me to speak tomorrow and put United Farm Workers shipped to retail markets, and knew that the consuming public w - Monitor•. 'None available for seizure: I imagine the public in Chelsea ical companies word for it, that it's safe. The same compl nies that have,
representative Jerry Cohen way down the list today. eating it. This is an instance of the ultimate c.orruption in government Massachusetts ate that lettuce as well. an economic interest in selling the stuff. I don't think the EPA itsel
"We demand to be heard first. We have charges to make, charges agencies serving the economic interests they are supposed to regulate. "January 18, Buffalo, New York. 4.7 parts per million: 'None avail- tests th~ pesticide at all. I t
which the other speakers must respond to. Here you're III tting them David Bingham, Assistant Director, Inspection Services of the Car able for seizure'. The list goes on and on." Under further questioning from the Committee. representatives of the
first, so they can make a complete witewash of the situation. We won't ornia Department of Food and Agriculture. followed Finnell and to Prompted by Cohen's charges the Committee later got admissions EPA admitted that Cohen's charges were true. Douglas Cempt, spoke-
stand for it, we demand to be heard first." of how contaminated lettuce had been "reconditioned" for sale--a pr . from government officials that "none available for seizure" in fact sman for the EPA, admitted that the testing responsibilities fall entirely
Chaos reigned. Chairwoman Fong banged her gavel, demanding that cess whereby the outer leaves were stripped from the head until the meant that the lettuce had been sold to the consuming pUblic. upon the manufacturer, with the EPA responsible only for evaluating
Ms. Honorof take her seat. She refused. The five members of the committee lettuce met pesticide standards. Bingham also told the Committee tl1ft Cohen was equally adamant on the question of farm worker safety. tpe companies' data and issuing registl;'ations for use.
quickly huddled, with Ms. Honorof still shouting charges at them, oc- , "the California Department of Public Health has found that no farm work~ "There were farm \'Yorkers in January who suffered symptoms--nausea, The mornings testimony ended with Domingo Tamez, a representative
casionally supported from people from the audience. Pleas by the Sear- were adversely affected" in handling the contaminated produce. headaches, dizziness .. -which are also symptoms of the flu. They were of the Teamsters, claiming that "We have never come in contact wth
gent at Arms and a Highway Patrolman had no effect--Ms. Honorof Cohen later challenged Bingham on both points. 'I want to speak to not told of the Monitor problem at that point. Doctors didn't know what· any of our members that have a problem with this case of infesticides,
made it clear that if she was to be removed at all, it would have to be issue of 'reconditioning'." Cohen told the Committee. "Aparently t was wrong with them. By now the evidence of pesticide poisoning has Monitor··4.' ,
forcibly. No one tried. State 0 f California thought it was its job to have someone strip t disappeared from their bodies. How do they prove they were poisoned Under questioning from, Assemblyman Richard Alatorre (Democrat
Ms. Fong was finally forced to call a recess, and the CommittEe 'leaves off of poisoned .lettuce and sell it to the public. If a retail cl€tIk with Monitor-4? of Los Angeles), Tamez admitted that Teamster contracts covered .
. along with Cohen and Art Torres from the Union, retired to a back room did that, how many leaves would he strip offto know that it wasn't pois.- "One of the insidious results of Withholding information is to prevent the ranches where excessive levels of Monitor were found, but still
to see what could be worked out. oned? People were eating this stuff. The State, instead of telling consum farm workers from getting appropriate legal redress. Well, were going maintained that Teamster workers had nO problem with it. Alatorre
They reached a compromise where!:?y the government witnesses were what was happening, decided they were going to try to sell as ffuch to see that they get that redress," Cohen concluded. looked puzzled.
scheduled before' Cohen would testify quickly and limit their remarks of this lettuce as possible. Cohen's test!mony put the government officials on the defensive. He
CHAIRWOMAN MARCH FONG & COMMITTEE: FINNELL & BINGHAM: everythin,§ &s OK •••
"Get out of here--we're &n executive
. .,... "
sess&on
Mrs_. F'rimbres 'l-S visited by Calexico Clinic Field Worker Yolanda Leal
prescriptions, to take her blood pressure, and
" I I I THEY HAVE TRFATFD ME MAG~ IIFICF.NTLV~ "--BFATRI7. FR I~1liRF.S reassure her if she has problems of dOUbts.
, Over the course of the- seven months under
CALEXICO, Californial--"I believe there are Beatriz first visited the clinic in Aug4st Dr. Tittle's care, her condition has stabilized
a lot of people asleep and they should awaken, and has been seen there and in her home well, and her health improved.
because our Clinic offers everything. I have every week since. This is especially impor=' "I feel much better," she says. "They
never in all my life received these examina- tant for her because she is nearly totally blind, have treated me magnificently and I have noted
tions, from the time I was a little boy. It as well as having arthritis, high blood pres= more improvement now with Dr. Ken Tittle
looks like Chavez is going great." sure and shortness of breath. than before wh~n I was being s~en in~Mexicali.
Those are the sentiments of Isidro Frimbres. The family health workers of the Clinic, "It seems to me that the pills' are a sub-
His wife Beatriz is a Calexico clinic patient Yolanda Leal and Cristi Willison, visit her stitute for injections, right? I say thIs because
with several chronic diseases now being con~ once a week to make sure she has no bad I have had injections and now that I 'am taking
trolled under the supervision of Dr. Ken Tittle. rections to the mediciIl;e~ and to refill her: only pills I feeI~much;.much better.i' ~
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City _
State _ Zip _
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The total of $2811 represents the sale of more than 28,000 copIes of EL
MALCRIADO in 28 days and a step forward toward its financial independence.
Official Representatives 0 f EL MALCRIADO in California and Arizona
report that every day farm workers are responding more and more enthus-
iastically to the distribution drive and predict that EL MALCRIADO's
circulation will reach 50,00U by the end of the year.
In order to reach this goal, more volunteers are needed to form EL
MALCRIADO Committees wherever there are farm workers. If YOU have
the dedication and the spirit of struggle necessary to do this work call
your Official EL MALCRIADO Representative or write or call:
EL MALCRIADO Committees
P.O. Box 62
Keene, California 93531
(805) 822-5531 MaZcriado Committee in GreenfieZd~ CaZifornia
30,000 r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - $2,811 - - - ,
meets to discuss door-to-door campaign.
28,110 Malcriados
When the sisters and brothers of the EL MALCRIADO Committee in
EL Ml\LCR IADO your community come to your door. welcome them and subscribe
to the newspaper so it will be brought to your door every other
rvDNTHLY SL\LES- week. By coop erating with the EL MALCRIADO Committees you help
to: (1) develop a network of communication and solidarity that will
strengthen our movement in its struggle against the growers and' their
allies; and (2) to establish the presence of La Causa in the streets of
every farm worker community. Join the EL MALCRIADO Committees!
20,000 . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
• Delano to Lamont:
Jean Flores--(805) 725-9434
• Tulare County:
Jesus Martinez--(209) 784-7344
• Fresno County:
Hijinio Ran~el (209) 591-5240
• Salinas area:
Jose Guadalupe Varela--(408) 449-7578
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BASTA: A pictorial history 1 Please in~lude .35 for postage
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12 EL MALCRIADO March 23, 1973
Labor and Movement News
UNITED VICTORY AT WOUNDED KNEE
STATES: STRIKE &BoYCOTT SHELL OIL \\ OL"NDED KNEE, South Dakota· For native
.\ mericans, \\'ounded Knee has an almost sacred
meaning. This is where federal troops mas·
SAL lIARBOUR, Floricla··- The Al,'L..CIO r-:x,' sacred mOre than 300 Souix men, women and
ecutive Council has given its full support children in 1890,climaxingthecampaignof("l'eno~
to the strike and boycott of Shell Oil Co. cide launched against the native popillation "'dur .
called by the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers ing the 19th Century in the United States.
Union bee ause of She II' s refusal to negotiate For this reason the members of the American
health and s~fety clauses and pension plan Indian Movement chose Wounded Knee as the
.i m prove rnents. place in which to dramatize befor the entire
Shell and Standard Oil Co. of California world the desperate living conditions to which
(Chevron) are the only two major oil com-· the indigeneous peoples of this country are
panies which' have refused to negotiate those subjected.
matters. . By occupying Wounded Knee ~hey sought
"It is obviously only right and just that to symbolically unearth the "heart of the
FOOD PRICES CONTINUE the workers themselves have some control Indian people" and sought to bring about a
RECORD RISES nver their work environment," the Council rebirth of the native American spirit. Among
noted. "Shell alone among the major producers their demands were that: the sovereignty of
\\ ASI-IINGTON, D.C.·- Retail food prices refuses this proposal." the Indian people be recognized; the enforce-
jumped a staggering 2.1 percent in January, ment of 371 disregarded treaties and belated
the largest one"month rise since January, 1951 Senate ratification of more than 200 treaties
when they rose 2.5 percent, according to the negotiated in 1948; restoration of a permanent
B ure:lU of Labor Statistics here. ~OLIDARITY WITH FARAH WORKERS land base of 110 million acres by 1976; the abo ..
lition of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and that
The continuing monthly jump in food prices
has been the principal factor in the steady violence committeed against the native American
rise in the cost of living. Nonetheless, Nixon's The strike against the Farah Manufacturing people be cons-idered federal crimes.
Wage Board cotinues to hold down the salaries Company has entered its ninth month. Across For several days. they were slJrrOlmded by
of American wor-king people. the country, support for the strikers increases, federal troops that were awaiting orders to
wh ile pUblic opinion turns against the company end the occupation by force. The governemm
which forces its workers to labor under con- at first refused to accept the demands of the
ditions that bring to mind the early days of 'native Americans. But the native Americans
industrial·ization during the Nineteenth Century.
liN ION rIlEMBERSH IP GA I ~IS Recently, Roman Catholic bishop of El Paso
inspired by the spirit of independence and
heroism of their forefathers. deCided they
Rev. S. M. Metzger, sent out a letter asking his would not back down and were willing to die
\\ASHINGTON, D.C.--The membership of 185 fellow bishops to support the strikers saying for their demands.
national unions hea<;!quarterecl in the United that Farah treats its workers like "machines Public opinion. especially church groups and
States increased by half a million between of production and not as human beings." oppressed minority groups. pressured the fe-
1968 and 1970 to a record high of 20.7 million, Even though his sales have gone down by deral government not to launch an armed attack
the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported here. $8 million Willie Farah, who owns seven ma- against the native Americans. The conscience
.\I,'L-CIO affiliates reported a total member·· nufacturing plants (four in Texas, two in New of the nation was on trial: would the massacre
ship of 15,916,000 in 1970, an increase of about Mexico, and one in Hong Kong) with sales of of Wounded Knee be repeated?
370,(JOO over 1968. $160 million a year, condnues to refuse union Finally, a temporary victory for the native
"Dire predictions regarding union stagnation recognition to his workers, who are mostly A mericans. Federal troops withdrew. The
appear unfounded," BLS said in a summary. chicanos. new heroes of Wounded Knee are still alive.
"In the last six years, unions recruited an But the strikers continue firm in their struggle Negotiations continue, but the Bureau of Indian
average of more than 460,000 members an- in their struggle. Boycott Farah pants, Affairs remains the main obstacle to a settle-
l,.n_u_a_l_l.y;:..'._'_' --:. soliclarity with the strikers. ment.
r
LATIN AMERICA set up and controlled by the facist Spanish
AND THE WORLD: ARGENTINE WJRKERS ADVANCE
regime.
The committee has the support of the workers,
and the government, unable to quell the waves
of strikes that have been sweeping across the
Democratic and progressive groups,led by country, has decIded to make an example
the e.G. 1'., (National Confederation of Argentine of the committee's leaders. One of the nine
Workers), are forcing right .wing elements, who is Marcelino Camacho, who after serving '5
h ave been in power via a military regime since years in prison was again jailed last June.
1955, to allow the justicialist Party (peronist) Another prisoner, worker~priest Francisco
to participate in the upcoming elections. Garcia, in a letter to the bishop, wrote:
The· C. G. T. was founded during the Peron " ••. while men are being denied a most sacred
government (1945 55) and was at that time the right, my place is here. I t would be a dis-
first mass labor union in the history of Ar..
grace for an apostle of gospel liberation to
gentina. Despite the repression launched by the walk around free under a dictatorship."
oligarchy against the C. G. T. after the military
takeover in 1955, the labor union continues
to hold the loaylty of the working class.
Realizing that the C.G. T. cannot he des
troyed, General Lanusse's government finds
tiself with two alternatives: permit popular CHILE: ALLENDE \~I~,IS .
candidates to participate in the elections or
WI-D CONTROLS MEX ICAN INDUSTRY? risk the outbreak of civil war.
i\ t this ime it looks as if Hector Campora
International press agencies at the sevice
of the giant economic and political interests
the presidencial candiate of the Justiciali.st
Even though \lcxican fedcral laws stipulate h ave presented the results of. the latest elec,.
Party , is gaining overwhelming puhlic ;--;up-,
that all companics in which foreigners are ti oos in Ch ile as a victory for the right With-
port. The question is: what will the ruling
involved must be at least 51 percent :Vlexican ' out analyzing the true nature and significance
oligarch y do in the face of an eminent victory
owned, a t'ecent study by the overnrnent shows of the elections.
by the workl'rs?
that of the 1,1% foreign companies operating In Chile, the decision made by the people
NO'IV:JIector Campara won by a big majority in was to keep in power the government of the
in \lexico, only 845 are partially owned hy
:\1 cxic an interes ts. \llarch 11 election. Unidad Popular, a coalition of progressive
Of thc 1100 companies that operate in the political parties. The opposition, a coalition
industrial "ector of the Mexican economy, 90. of right-wing parties, asked the Chilean people
pct-cent havc their headquarters in the United SPANISH UNIONISTS SENTENCED to give them the two -thirds majority they needed
States. In the production of foodstuffs the par-- to gain one vote in the Senate, which would
ticipation of Mexican firrn~ is... almost nil. h ave made it po,,;si.ble for them to oust Allende' s
Along with this iv Last summer,nine Spanish workers were aI" government. .
Along with this invasion of foreign interests rested for wonting for their country what other Instead the voters gave the Cnidad Popular
that i':i taking place in \!cxico, only 2 out of F uropean countries have: the right to unionize. more representatives ,in the national congress.
every 10 persons is permanently employed and Now, they aFe b'(;ing sentenced with up to 15 "- R eacti onary forces won only, 54% of the vote,
thei'c are between six and seven mill ion un·· year's imprisonnient.' t:;' ....,..
j rather than the 66% the,y wan.ted.
employed'in a' populatio'n of 50 mi.-Ilion persons." The nine worker's are members of a cl~ntl~- Tllb' 'seems to" demonstrate once again how
This does not include, the undeTerllploye.<.,! nor estine \V()rker~i's,c':corn11l1rtee! that is fighting. progres.ssive movements can make headway
those working at starvation wages. (INS) in behalf of....rhc workers Within the unions even under the rno.";t adverse conditions.
. - .. :
~
Frank Fitzsimmons
President, Teamsters Union compiled by Jim Horgan. Research Department
T History of Conflict With Teamsters signing were bona fide it would have been
considered a "breakthrough" and the union's
. organizational attention would have been diec-
(Weare printing in two sections, the following negotiations which ended in an agreement to ted toward those kinds of workers under other
letter by William Kircher, Director of Organi- turn them back to the farm workes. . competing employers. But no•••it didn't hap-
zation of the national AFL-CIO, in which he Esther, look at the HISTORY OF THE CON- pen again until 1970, as truthfully stated on the
gives a clear and well-written account of the FLICT. Note carefully those dates. In 1946 pamphlet you sent me.
growers' attempt to use the Teamsters to the Teamsters unionized produce truck drivers. _ Now why did it occur in 1970?· I think
stop our organizing efforts.--EL MALCRI~DO). It then took 15 years before they signed the you know the answer to that one. It occurred
"first lettuce field labor contract", and after because in June of 1970 the Farm Workes
Mrs. Esther Peterson that it took an aditional nine years to sign Union triumphed in the four-year struggle in
Consumer Advisor "additional lettuce contracts". the grape vineyards and were moving on into
Giant Food Inc. Now you understand union procedures and the next target area•••THE LETTUCE FIELQS
Washington, D. C. 20013 organizing well enough to know that a union as OF CALIFORNIA. (To be Continued)
big and as wealthy and as "powerful" as the
Dear Esther: Teamsters could have organized the "field ~t