"Recommitment to building a national union for farm workers and penance because all of us let Cesar carry the responsibility for organizing the union on his shoulders. Rodriquez is the son-in-law of union founder Cesar Chavez, who died almost a year ago. "The pilgrimage is about recommitment and penance," UFW's leader, Arturo Rodriquez, said at a rally before the march began. Because its power and effectiveness in the grape industry has declined, leaders of the union decided to turn to organizing efforts. The grape boycott had been the primary focus of the union in recent years. The union hopes to recruit 10,000 new members during the march. The purpose: to publicize its renewed efforts to organize farm workers and to demand new contracts with farmers. On March 31, about 750 union members began a three-week, 330-mile march from this small farming community to the California state capitol building in Sacramento. The United Farm Workers Union here has called off a 10-year boycott of grapes in supermarkets, and is shifting gears to target growers directly.
0 kommentar(er)
