Delano Newsletter - January 18,.. 1966,.- en la Huelga
Picketing in Delano. Last' week on Friday we had 'our largest picketline to date.
About 150 FWA and ABCC- ^Agricultural A/orkers Organizing Committee) pickets
lined up a half a mile along side a field and were successful in "breaking"
a crew — the number of pickets on our lines has always been the decisive factor.
Schenley is still keeping ahead of us in bringing in out-of-area workers to
scab in the vineyards. But Schenley is the easiest to break; men brought into
Jelano always get fed up after a few days, especially when they find out
about the strike. Re are now using several powerful transistorized bull-horns
on the lines. Aith them we have- discovered new talents of persuasive talking
among the men and women on our lines. Broke an Arab crew of 35 or ^0 yesterday
out on a ranch on quality Road .
Second Launching of "LI Teatro Campesino. " This last weekend Luis tfladez and
his troubador-actors did several performances, formal and informal in the
Bakersfield area; coming up this week, is a show on the Stanford campus in
Palo ill to. A month and a half ago, our little theater- picket group was about
six strong, rich with natural talent, but was dispersed somewhat when pickets
were sent out to S.F., L.A. and Bl Paso, Texas. Recently Luis has been
breaking in some new people and they are doing very well. The format is
siaspke , - s^Jdetbekia^so%re^-bk@№mptsi^hgi«eS 'allntbisa&nffirv ■ - - • . ,
simple, short skits tied together with Luis's informal comments about the
strike. (lie being our picket captain gives all this unimpeachable authority.
><hen the show is on the road, and Luis and the others are missing, the
picketline suffers as a result.) Their finest routine (in this critic's
opinion) is a dramatized reading Of Jack London's famous definition of a scab
("After God had finished the rattlesnake...") Only two personna are invol¬
ved, a drunken esquirol (scab) and his "conscience" who reads him this
scathing— and, as it turns out — edifying bit from Union history. As it
developed, the "Teatro" is becoming a highly effective means of reaching the
i Mexican farm worker with ideas and attitudes by which members of the associa¬
tion are fulfilling their long-held aspirations to greater and more secure
participation in the community at large.
Boycott i .ews . Plans are being made for a major new inovation during the
first week of February. Re are still receiving word of new committees
forming; Ban Diego is in swing and moving, Cesar just came back from ./ew--
fork lastm-ght and reports that Bob Solodow's efforts on the Last Coast
are developing well, but that he needs help there in maintaining the effort
in soi; many; cities. Bob shuttles around much between New York, .ashington,
cities,: Ano New Jersey and New England. Printed materials and buttons we send
him from our. little office here in Delano.
-ore on Picketing in Delano. Today Bendy is holding a press conference
to bring attention to the recent flood of workers being pulled out from
Schenley and other ranches struck by the two unions. (Cooperation between
our two groups is still solid, especially on the picketlines out in the
fields, where both groups are now devoting their principle striking activity.)
Jack/ the uiant tiller : Last week we drew State-wide headlines in an activity,
though pot. related to the strike, typical of the normal Association work done
here jto secure the rights of farm workers. Be find ourselves watch-dog, prod,
and.3advQcate/counsel oh behalf of our members to the two county welfare offices
ab'whos,eumercy one stands- .when hit by the winter's low in pay and available
work. Our Salvador Jonzalez took a small group of recipients, some of whom
had been denied aid unfairly, and picketed offices of the 1/ulare County
Welfare Department, ./hata scandal! At the same time telegrams were sent to
Secretary of Health, ./elf are and Education , the Governor, and the top state
welfare official» requesting investigation of the county’s practices. The
results were immediate and fully vindicated our dissatisfaction. The inves¬
tigators who were sent in response» were quoted welfare laws by Sal which
they had never heard of before! .They left favorably impressed with our case
against the Department, anh promised action. (And we’ll stay on 'em.)
Aeavy Bails Reduced by Volunteer Attorney , Gerverly Axelrad. Several of our
bravest and best pickets were held several days on fantastic felony charges»
then finally released on their own recognizance with far lesser allegations
hanging on them. (Lack of any on-the-spot legal help has been a constant
source of difficulty to the strike here— -but it is by no means a new predi¬
cament for the i exican- American farm worker.) 1 iss Xxelrad was warmly praised
at last Tuesday's general picket meeting by Spifanio Camacho, one of those she
was able to help. Savings in bail money was in the thousands of dollars.
