A Glimpse Of The Past: Cesar Chavez

A Glimpse of the Past There have been many advances in the past to address agricultural working conditions and bring awareness to worker treatment. A need for change rose when unions were introduced in the early 1900s. Unionizing was these workers’ opportunity to finally demand change in the workplace by coming together as a whole. The National Labor Relation Act of 1935 granted employees the right to form or join unions, and engage or refrain from engaging in protected activities to address or improve working conditions (nlrb.gov). This act excluded agricultural workers prohibiting them from unionizing or demanding better working conditions. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) was created to guarantee most workers a minimum wage and

In 1962, Cesar Chavez, an organizer for the Community Service Organization and the son of Chicano farm workers, formed the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). Chavez left the CSO because it refused to focus its efforts on organizing farm workers. Chavez wanted to organize workers and create an effective union to fight for farm worker rights. Chavez and his co-founder, Dolores Huerta, attempted to organize workers through strikes that proved effective but did not lead to a union

The issues involving agricultural workers have surrounded me for as long as I can remember. Being able to hear about these problems and then experiencing them myself has sparked my interest for change. Improving these conditions is important because these workers are providing this country’s produce. This category consists of mainly immigrants who are the only ones willing to work in unskilled jobs. The US must protect these workers in order for them to continue working and providing these necessary crops for America. Farm workers need to feel safe and secure in their own jobs in order for them to perform them properly. I believe change can be brought through unions and community empowerment. Unions have proved to be powerful in the past and are still proving this now. Unions bring together members of the community and give them the power to stand up for themselves. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “There is power in unity and there is power in numbers.” Bringing farm workers together and informing them about their rights can positively affect the way employers enforce regulations in the workplace. These poor conditions have been able to pass as a norm because workers do not know that this isn’t how they are supposed to be treated. Bringing awareness within the workplace can have a significant effect on making sure work regulations and