Song of the stubborn one thousand : the Watsonville Canning Strike, 1985-87 / Peter Shapiro.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shapiro, Peter, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Watsonville Canning and Frozen Food Company.

Strikes and lockouts--Food industry and trade--California--Watsonville--History.

Strikes and lockouts.

Mexican American women labor union members--California--Watsonville.

Mexican American women labor union members.

Labor unions--California--Watsonville.

Labor unions.

Women cannery workers--California--Watsonville.

Women cannery workers.

Food industry and trade--California--Watsonville.

Food industry and trade.

Frozen foods industry--California--Watsonville.

Frozen foods industry.

Strikes and lockouts--Food industry and trade.

History.

California--Watsonville.

Physical Description:

xv, 237 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Illinois : Haymarket Books [2016]

Summary:

On September 9, 1985, one thousand mainly Mexican women workers in Watsonville, California, the "frozen food capital of the world," were forced out on strike in response to an attempt by Watsonville Canning owner, Mort Console, to break their union. They returned to work eighteen months later. Not one had crossed the picket line. A moribund union has been revitalized, and Watsonville's Latino majority emerged as a major force in local politics. At a time when organized labor was in headlong retreat, the Watsonville Canning strike was a dramatic show of the power of women workers, whose struggle became a rallying point for the Chicano movement. Apart from its sheer drama, the strikers' story illuminates the challenges facing a group of ordinary working people who waged a protracted and ultimately successful struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Contents:

The frozen food capital of the world

The biggest unio in the country

The Teamsters in Watsonville

Local 912 at bay

The strikers' committee

Exit the king

The Shaw settlement

Enter the Teamsters

Mort Console at bay

The final days.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781608466801

1608466809

OCLC:

945949135