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Summary

From 1965 to 1970, farmworkers in California, led by Cesar Chavez and the National Farmworkers Association (later the United Farmworkers of America), conducted a strike and boycott against grape growers to demand union contracts, higher wages, and better working conditions. The campaign combined picketing, marches, a consumer boycott of table grapes, and a hunger fast by Chavez to enforce nonviolence. By July 1970, the UFWA had signed contracts with 85% of California’s grape industry, benefiting 20,000 workers, though some growers later reneged on agreements.

Background

Before the strike, California farmworkers earned an average annual income of less than $1,400, with poor working conditions and lack of sanitary facilities. In 1965, the National Farmworkers Association in Delano, led by Cesar Chavez, had only 200 members and did not plan mass action, but Filipino grape workers in the Coachella Valley went on strike over wage cuts and asked for help, sparking the campaign. The goal was to get grape growers to sign union contracts, increase wages, and improve working conditions.

What happened

In September 1965, Filipino grape workers in Coachella Valley struck over wage cuts and sought help from the National Farmworkers Association, which joined them; soon strikes and picket lines spread to other major grape farms [source: nv-database]. Picketers faced violence from farm foremen, security guards, police, and Teamsters, and were attacked by dogs and sprayed with pesticides; court injunctions also halted picket lines [source: nv-database]. In November 1965, longshoremen in Oakland refused to handle grape shipments, beginning a series of boycotts [source: nv-database]. In March 1966, Chavez led a 250-mile pilgrimage from Delano to Sacramento, modeled after Gandhi’s march, which grew from a hundred to thousands of participants and publicized the boycott [source: nv-database]. Following the march, Schenley and a few other companies signed contracts raising wages by 35 cents an hour, but these covered only 5,000 workers (2% of California’s farmworkers) [source: nv-database]. In January 1968, the union began a total boycott of California table grapes after label-switching by companies undermined earlier boycotts [source: nv-database]. In February 1968, Chavez undertook a 25-day hunger fast to call for nonviolence after some intended violence by protesters; thousands pledged nonviolence, marking the campaign’s official adoption of nonviolent ideology [source: nv-database]. The boycott spread nationally and to Canada, with 17 million Americans participating by 1969; grape shipments decreased by one-third, causing significant losses for growers [source: nv-database]. In 1970, 40 companies in Coachella signed contracts, and in July 1970, Giurma, California’s largest grape company, signed, leading other growers to follow; the strikes, pickets, and boycotts ended [source: nv-database]. However, soon after, major grape growers reneged on contracts and made sweetheart deals with the Teamsters, prompting UFWA to resume the boycott, but the tactic lost effectiveness [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Cesar Chavez
  • Dolores Huerta
  • National Farmworkers Association
  • United Farmworkers of America (UFWA)
  • AFL-CIO
  • International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union
  • United Auto Workers Union
  • National Council of Churches
  • Dorothy Day
  • Robert F. Kennedy
  • Walter Reuther

Tactics used

The campaign combined a farmworkers’ strike and picketing with a consumer boycott that mobilized millions across North America, while Chavez’s hunger fast reinforced nonviolent discipline and attracted widespread support. These tactics worked together to pressure growers economically and morally, leading to industry-wide contracts. [source: nv-database]

Outcome

Verdict: partial.

The campaign achieved 5 out of 6 success points, with UFWA signing contracts covering 85% of California’s grape industry and affecting 20,000 workers, resulting in higher wages and better conditions. However, the outcome is partial because some companies reneged on agreements soon after, and the union later declined in membership and influence. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • A consumer boycott can be highly effective when it gains broad public participation and targets a specific product.
  • A leader’s personal sacrifice, such as a hunger fast, can reinforce nonviolent discipline and galvanize support.
  • Building alliances with unions, religious groups, and student activists amplifies pressure on opponents.
  • Contracts won through struggle may be fragile if opponents later renege, requiring ongoing vigilance.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

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