00:00:00.200 - 00:00:40.825

Oh. OK, um. Yeah yeah yeah. For a little while, you know, he was, he was still, he hung around. No, no, he worked in Crosetti, Cross, yeah, yeah, but he was, yeah, but he, you know, he, he came around, you

00:00:40.825 - 00:01:20.569

know, but he wasn't really active, you know. You know, I'm, I'm actually curious about rosetti because, um, This is kind of jumping around a bit, but I know in the certification and really hard to get reject it and that was what got Cruz

00:01:20.569 - 00:01:34.430

and thrown out of the union hall. any thought at all to what was going on at Crosetti, you know, or try to try to get that, you know, I mean Crosetti, you know, we, we'd try because Eddie was over there, you know, but they, they were

00:01:34.430 - 00:01:49.650

the, you know, the resources were limited and the concentration was more on the strike, you know, and getting a settlement of that, you know, so there wasn't that much organizing for that case, there wasn't that much. Going on also, you know, in, in, uh, in, uh,

00:01:49.660 - 00:02:05.260

smuckers, not smuckers, what was it called, um, Shaws Richard Shaw, because remember they went back, they went in after 6 months, you know, and what Richard Shaw, what they were able to do is, you know, have some, some supporters during the strike, OK, but a lot

00:02:05.260 - 00:02:21.389

of people went back to work, you know, and, and, uh, there wasn't too much given. I remember, you know, to show because most of the energy was being spent, you know, keep the strike going, keep the support going, you know, keep, keep the, the message outside

00:02:21.389 - 00:02:46.100

Watsonville all over the country. That was, that was mainly what we were doing, you know. Well, I know that, um, The Crosetti people did vote the contract down initially, and then Crocetti, you know, by a pretty big margin, and then Crosetti locked him out for two

00:02:46.100 - 00:03:19.839

weeks and they took another vote, you know, they got a few concessions and ah. The 2nd vote, it was ratified very narrowly. But it seems like this is the certification votes with the situation or not or that you know that we you know we. You

00:03:19.839 - 00:03:37.919

know, we put that much attention to it as I remember again because all the energy, man and and manpower women power was being spent on the Norcal, you know, or, you know, Watson canning, the certification, you know, the, and even, even on the certification, a lot

00:03:37.919 - 00:03:54.949

of the stuff, you know, I was, I was part. But in a lot of sense, it was, it was being discussed and it was being done and the, you know, I remember, um, I don't know if it was when I went, when I went out, you

00:03:54.949 - 00:04:12.669

know. But I wasn't a lot involved in that. It was, I, like I said, I was more involved with the people out there. And I think when the vote took place. I think I was, I was out somewhere. On the road, you mean, yeah, yeah, because

00:04:12.669 - 00:04:25.489

I was also being sent places, you know. I mean you go, you go off on gigs I'll go, yeah, we'll go somewhere, you know. I mean we're all our job was to get it out, you know, and a lot of this stuff was being organized, you

00:04:25.489 - 00:04:39.450

know, the cert the certification was going down with the teamsters, you know, you know, and, and like the strikers did a lot of the a lot of stuff, you know, they just stayed in touch with town they were very involved, man, because I remember when the

00:04:39.450 - 00:05:33.920

vote happened. I, I don't think I was in town. Yeah. There's that, you know, it was it was like 6 months into the strike and there was, you know. So much that the strikers could do, you know, I think, yeah, and, you know, by the way?

00:05:34.000 - 00:05:54.369

Oh, I don't know where she's, you know. Oh, she's out. She's in Soledad. Soledad City, you know, maybe if you mark Soledad, Maria, that's where she lives. Yeah. If you know how to get a hold of her, you know, I saw her one time, and of

00:05:54.369 - 00:06:27.950

all places at a at a at a winery, she came in there with her daughters, man, and her granddaughters, and they go, hi. I go, what a surprise. I don't think I have the number, man. I don't think so. No,

00:06:28.029 - 00:06:51.660

I don't have it. Mhm. Well, maybe I could try, you can, um, a small towns. Yeah, so that's how Tom Manuel. Yeah, I, I wasn't able to do it. So he was, he went and he's better than I am. So you were able to find Manu.

00:06:52.630 - 00:08:35.960

How's he doing? Well, isn't. 00 70s, Cheryl, right? I don't know who worked in the plant, you know. Yeah. You know, the strikes, you

00:08:35.960 - 00:08:51.969

know, he was, he was working and um Mary had a nice apartment and. Well, I think, I think they were owners of the place. She was, I think his wife was the owner. He, he was married to a woman who was working in the electronics, uh,

00:08:52.070 - 00:09:08.299

uh, around San Jose, I, I, I think, uh, when the strike first broke out. And I remember her, but this is, this is way later, you know, yeah, we married that person in Watsonville, but it's good and I'm glad he's doing well, you know, he is

00:09:08.299 - 00:10:13.059

and you know, real lucid, real sharp, he was always very sharp. I mean, I know. They say it's the new, you know, it's kind of just taking a backseat now. Stanford is the that's all the stuff I guess, um. Some more questions um. Yeah.

00:10:13.830 - 00:10:29.960

Did any of the TDU people go into that meeting and try to get themselves elected? I mean, like Fidelia or, uh, you know, yeah, I mean, it seems to me all I had to do was, you know. Yeah, to be nominated they would have a shot

00:10:29.960 - 00:10:59.260

at it and they, they have nominations and everything, yeah, yeah, and people like them who was translating was he up to? I don't know. I don't know. I know. You know, I, I, uh Gloria hasn't been returning my phone calls lately. I think she probably

00:10:59.260 - 00:11:16.900

feels like I've gone to the well too often with her, you know, do you? Well, one thing I wanted was, uh, you know, an, an account of that meeting, you know. Uh, did the TDU people and did any of them stand for the strikers, you know,

00:11:18.760 - 00:11:32.869

um, you know, the big knock on that committee is that, you know, Cruz went around saying it was handpicked and they picked the most conservative people and blah blah blah. I mean that's that's Cruz. You know, but it's, it's like I'm wondering if there was a

00:11:32.869 - 00:11:48.320

decision that the TDU people made not to get involved in that because, you know, they were calling for a striker committee very early in the strike, you know, put out a leaflets I think. Early September saying the first thing we need to do is for the

00:11:48.320 - 00:12:20.159

union to call a meeting and have a strikers committee elected, but they never did any follow up. You know, and then when all of this, you know, so he just kind of, you know, you know. One time he tried to approach me and yeah. Like I

00:12:20.159 - 00:12:35.419

said, I was just too busy, man, helping and giving support to the workers. That was my role, you know, yeah. Well, I mean you. to talk to Gloria and Chivelo a lot about, you know, the next, what's the next move we make this kind of thing,

00:12:35.450 - 00:12:53.140

and, you know, if there were these strategic decisions to make. Well, we would meet and talk, you know, and, and Chavelo, he was the liaison, you know. You and Gloria Well, there were so many things that went on there, you know, you just take it for

00:12:53.140 - 00:13:05.179

granted what is happening. You just go and it's just, it's like today, you know, so many things going on right now in my workplace, you know, you just take it, you just take it for granted it's what it is, you know, trying to remember 20 years

00:13:05.179 - 00:13:26.619

from now. So, I mean, Do you remember a guy named, uh, Francisco Ramirez, who was a, I guess he was the night shift foreman at Watsonvilleany. Somebody, you know, fired a shotgun into his house on Christmas Eve, you know, in '85, but then he was the

00:13:26.619 - 00:13:43.200

one who, he was fired by console because he, you know, toward the end of the strike because he refused to allow his work to process contaminated produce and he went and spilled his guts to the Santa Cruz press. You know he was a whistleblower. I've been

00:13:43.200 - 00:14:07.849

researching this, you know, I know. Well, you know. You don't remember this guy. And. Um, somebody else I wanted to ask Gloria about because he used to be a, you know, a regular line worker watches and he got promoted into management a few years before the

00:14:07.849 - 00:14:31.500

strike, um. And of course, you know, probably Jose and his crowd sort of. I thought they would terrorize them into submission. So, um, yeah, a lot of stuff. Did you talk to Aurora? Oh yeah, Aurora was very active. She was very passionate. She was, you know,

00:14:31.700 - 00:14:50.000

she in her house. I mean, Aurora was, was very, very supportive, man, you know, when, when they went back in. You know, she, she help as much as she could. Did she favor accepting the settlement at Shaw, do you know? I don't remember her, you know,

00:14:50.270 - 00:15:14.609

consciously. I mean, I mean, a lot of people, it was a majority. The people won the game. I mean, I remember the way we wrote it up in unity, you know, uh, we kind of. Thank you. Got nothing. I got an old TV with a little

00:15:14.609 - 00:15:35.520

antenna on the top. No, no, then, then I have to buy a cable and all that, right? Or you buy a phony skeleton, man. I, I, I mean it has happened. People buy it, you know, and then there's an empty case. I mean, it's a box.

00:15:36.239 - 00:16:17.979

How are you gonna try it out right now? You must look like a couple of marks. And I've lost my train of thought now. So with, with her, you know, I, Aurora. Uh Again, you know, I was, you know, you know, I remember that. you know.

00:16:43.650 - 00:17:25.790

You know, but Tom, you know, yeah, so you were able to interview before he died. Chuck Mac to give access to a bunch of papers, you know, that this this confidential report that he wrote up, you know, where he said, you know.

00:17:26.709 - 00:18:44.439

We've got to get rid of King and I know they're they're embarrassment to the strike, but we got to get out of here in Chuck. I don't know. Yeah. Uh, he found out everybody was just furious and caring, he found

00:18:44.439 - 00:19:04.650

out that the locals hadn't been kept up to date and his finances were a mess, you know. They did whatever they wanted to do, you know, they have no responsibility and you know. My hunch is, you know, there was no love lost between King and the

00:19:04.650 - 00:19:29.680

King had no use for it. It's like the locals the same right now. Yeah, they don't, they don't cooperate with the joint, yeah. Who's running it now? This guy named Brad Brad, yeah, yeah. They represent about 1200 workers. He makes about 2 to $84,000 and his

00:19:29.680 - 00:19:43.550

other assistant makes another $80,000. 0 yeah, still vice president. Oh yeah, she's all disabled. I don't, I don't know how they're keeping her recover from her stroke. Oh, she's, you know, it's not good. I'm not. She's still out there. I haven't seen her in a while.

00:19:44.079 - 00:20:36.464

She's talking to Gloria telling her that wants to take over the local, you know, we, we take it. I know. Uh, I know. Yeah. Yeah. OK. Yeah. Yeah, but she was, she was very nice. I think she must be about 70 years old or something. I

00:20:36.464 - 00:21:08.810

came here when she was 14, you know, in one of these teenage workers, you know, like Gloria. Yeah, but she talked about, you know, driving over the mountains every Monday to San Jose, you know. Getting a truckload of stuff, you know. It's gonna come over here

00:21:08.810 - 00:21:24.729

30. OK. You go till 3:30. That's great. Give me the bones rush or whatever, um. You know, after the Shaw settled. I was reading the, you know, the internal sum up we had and um said there was a lot of demoralization set in both among the

00:21:24.729 - 00:21:44.089

strikers. And among our own people, you know. Uh, I also got the sense that after the election happened because Gloria was beaten pretty badly. Uh, it was really an effort kind of building morale up, uh, again, and then first the election kind of went badly and

00:21:44.089 - 00:22:16.880

then Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm into the strike. The sense I get was that was a real low spot and ah. That uh There was a lot of, you know, the election was kind of considered a bust because none of our people got in,

00:22:17.339 - 00:22:35.369

you know, couldn't even get his own people in, you know, except for Joe and Joe ran an independent campaign. Um, I mean, do you recall having to deal with a lot of moral, you know, I mean it was a typical thing that, I mean, people were

00:22:35.369 - 00:22:52.329

already down and out, man, way before that, you know, these were all just different, different levels, man, people were, you know, people were pretty, pretty worn, you know, they, you know, they just kept going, but, you know, they were worn out, man, and when this, when

00:22:52.329 - 00:23:12.390

the elections happened, it turned out. Sure it was a very disappointed for, for Gloria and I think, I think a couple of times she felt like, you know, Wow, you know, I, I, I dedicate myself and, and look how people, you know, What kind of support

00:23:12.390 - 00:23:28.010

did they give me? And it was a little bit of that, you know, we, we try to keep it more objectively in a sense of, you know, pointing out, you know, look, look what you have done, you know. Look where you have come from and look

00:23:28.010 - 00:23:46.010

what you did just by running, you know, and unfortunately, you know, we didn't win. Unfortunately still the people, you know, unfortunately still the workers had a certain perspective up towards her that Sergio had had built up, you know, like for example, if, if Gloria wins, you're

00:23:46.010 - 00:24:00.344

gonna. a beauty salon in the union, you know, so that, that kind of stuff, you know, I don't know. I mean, I don't, but there was a lot of stuff that for a while demoralized, you know, demoralized, uh, quite a few of the workers, but the

00:24:00.344 - 00:24:16.780

good thing about it was that it was like temporary, you know, they had a lot of, they had a lot of energy. And then, and then um. You know, by the end of the strike, you know, almost at the end of the strike, um, and the

00:24:16.780 - 00:24:30.140

strike is over. Salinas was, you know, had a strike, and we went over there. I remember that. So that started to replace some of that, you know, but a lot of the majority of the strikers, everybody was just trying to go back to work or get

00:24:30.140 - 00:24:54.189

a job or something, man, you know. But Manuelville? Oh, he's stay in Watsonville, you know, you know, yeah, we went and supporter over there. No, then Manuel started doing his own stuff, you know, um. Yeah, you know, uh. You know, we started moving and, you know,

00:24:54.270 - 00:25:33.079

helping Salinas. We started taking the strikers over there, you know, uh. Things were changing between people's lives, you know. She was so long ago man I don't even remember all this stuff. Well yeah I mean I, I, you know, I, I briefly went through. Um. Tell

00:25:33.079 - 00:25:48.479

me, you know, I mean, um, did you deal with Cruz at all? I dealt with her more when the elections the election, you mean the local elections city council, yes, and even at that, you know, I mean she was always in her little circles, you know,

00:25:48.520 - 00:26:03.500

like what happened with Peter is that people had the circles, you know, and what we did is that. We didn't mess with the circles, you know, we just, again, we concentrated with the workers, you know, and they had workers too and we related to all of

00:26:03.500 - 00:26:21.699

them, you know, we try to stay away from the, from the, um, you know, circle mentality or for us, you know, it was always. You know, that winning the strike is the important thing for us was, you know, getting, getting the majority of the members to

00:26:21.699 - 00:26:37.410

participate. We were always trying to stay in the, in the bigger picture, you know. And get away from getting into this, you know, uh, small little brawls, and that's where Jose, you know, a couple of times tried to bully me, you know, one time he really,

00:26:38.060 - 00:26:54.040

he even tried to really bully me and even his own people, even his own people said to him, don't mess with him, you know, because he has a lot of support, you know. And that was done by uh one of his, one of the TDU very

00:26:54.040 - 00:27:18.530

close allies, you know, I'm going to remember her name is. I don't know if you interview her. Well, I, I got the impression. Oh really. recovered from that kind of It was the impression that the strikes as an organization. I mean, I used to hear a

00:27:18.530 - 00:27:43.290

lot about TDUTU, but not, you know, yeah. Um, it was Barbey, Bruce, Jose, Joe Fay, but they were, you know, everybody was doing their own little thing, you know, like John, uh, was doing his his movie, you know, um, he told me that you like, you

00:27:43.290 - 00:27:56.630

know. You know he was doing this kind of service type stuff, you know, uh, farm worker health work and. She kind of took him under her wing. She'd been doing a lot of that kind of stuff in the, you know, in the community for a while,

00:27:56.829 - 00:28:09.989

you know, before there was any talk of a strike, and that was just kind of. I, I found that kind of interesting, and you know they got involved like the the struggle against the Negro, you know. They were working with Leon Panetta to try to, you

00:28:09.989 - 00:28:40.079

know, rein him in and stuff, uh. But that was before we got there, you know. Leon Panetta at that time was, he was a tactical you know, I just got a call from Red Cross that on September 27th they're gonna be honoring people that played a

00:28:40.079 - 00:29:03.780

role in the earthquake and Leon Panetta is one of those. You know, and I'm gonna be out there I know you know you'd be on the CIA isn't he? But he's probably still carry security, especially, you know, since he was the one that captured Obama. They

00:29:03.780 - 00:29:19.560

probably, I mean, uh, not Obama, I mean bin Laden, yeah, so they probably, you know how they are, I mean, these people were saying just wait. Oh yeah, just wait until they, they let down their guard, you know. Um, let me ask about the, the Wells

00:29:19.560 - 00:29:41.839

Fargo stuff because I'm a little confused about that, um. Did Serio at any point, uh, Lead a demonstration in San Francisco at the headquarters. Yeah, we did. I mean, all those tactics that were being used, you know, and and then Wells Fargo came about, you know,

00:29:42.010 - 00:29:56.430

I don't know if you know that that that idea came out of us too, you know, to do that. You know, the Wells Fargo boycott the teams started poking around, you know, and seeing how much of their pension funds were locked up in Wells Fargo account.

00:29:56.709 - 00:30:10.150

No, I think there was the discussion of Wells Fargo was because they had investment, investment, and I don't know who brought the idea. I don't know if it was us, you know, because the person that was, you know, dealing a lot of that in there. With,

00:30:10.310 - 00:30:24.349

you know, with Ira Balosa and the teamsters was Cherie, you know, she was dealing a lot with them. She was the one that's had a relationship with them and I think the discussion of Wells Fargo, I don't remember if it can, I don't know if it

00:30:24.349 - 00:30:39.109

was one of our ideas, you know. You know, put pressure on them, and then we went and, you know, planted on the Teamsters ears and, you know, and made it an issue like this is another way, you know, planted on the Teamsters and the Teamsters picked

00:30:39.109 - 00:30:53.910

it up and it was not all I remember is going to the bank, man, and downtown and our marchers were outside in San Francisco San Francisco, San Francisco that you recall was right near the end or was it um. It was, it was the last in

00:30:53.910 - 00:31:19.140

the last 8 months, you know, the Watsonville strike, you know, and in front of Watsonville. Probably I don't remember that. Yeah, you don't remember. I remember the one in Francisco. Yeah. I don't remember, you know, I don't know if

00:31:19.140 - 00:31:35.310

they were, if the teamsters went inside and met with Wells Fargo. I mean they were doing a lot of behind the scenes I'm not surprised they probably did, you know, because he was the president, you know, the secretary treasurer. And already the teamsters, you know, were

00:31:35.310 - 00:32:09.300

taking a lead, a leading role, you know, and all I remember is we were outside, man. We brought the workers and, you know, we were putting many people that I don't remember, man, they were, I don't know, maybe I can't remember. Yeah, I

00:32:09.300 - 00:32:33.599

didn't know I think about that shit, I know. The memo that Chuck Mac I was not involved in the politics of like some of the stuff I know now about the teamsters because they you know they always look like. They always made it look very mysterious.

00:32:33.890 - 00:32:47.290

They always looked like, you know, we're like the blue jacket, yeah, you know, like we're big guys, you know, now that I look and now that I'm in the teamsters, you know, and I see us, I go, fuck all this here is a lot of work,

00:32:47.329 - 00:33:05.380

you know, you know, but then, you know, I think maybe then there was a kind of mentality, you know, that they were big and bad, you know. kind of they had this kind of attitude, a very arrogant attitude. Oh yeah, and then Shabelo got elected, he

00:33:05.380 - 00:33:23.339

changed, you know, he became more like them, said he'll mentor him to be like a little Caesar, you know, but we got disappointed in him because, you know, especially when, when he came and and denounced us, you know, oh yeah, I had no idea he was

00:33:23.339 - 00:33:47.089

part of the board. OK, and when, when the last, you know, this was after the strike when, uh, you know, the Richard Shaw, no, no, we're Norcal we're already moving into closing, you know, and uh Richard Shaw. was, uh, doing something, you know, uh, we had

00:33:47.089 - 00:34:04.030

a march and we took workers, man. The workers wanted to march because they were making deals and that Shaw was gonna do something to, to, uh, Watsonville to uh North Cal County. I think they were gonna be laying off. I don't remember, but they said we

00:34:04.030 - 00:34:17.189

wanna go march, you know, we wanna go pick it. So we organized the picket. We got people in the Allianza office to do picket signs, you know, we did the whole thing for her and then we march. We marched in the plaza and then, and then

00:34:17.189 - 00:34:30.790

we went down to march in the, I got pictures of that, you know, and I think I've got, yeah we went, we went in March, yeah, we went in March and and Richard Shaw's. So what do? So then what happened was that Chabela was already a

00:34:30.790 - 00:34:46.600

business agent, so the workers said, let's go to the union. It's our union hall. Let's go and use a restroom. Let's go drink water over there. So they went over there, you know, I was taking pictures, you know, and they headed over there and um got

00:34:46.600 - 00:35:00.070

them officials didn't come out to greet them or to say anything because they were pissed because they were doing this demonstration. So then Chavelo interpret that I brought the strikers, I brought the workers to pick at them. And in one meeting that we had in the

00:35:00.070 - 00:35:16.399

Allianza, he said in the in the board meeting, I never thought that you would be bringing the people to pick at me, you know, and I thought it wasn't like that and even Gloria told him, What are you talking about, you know. And uh he, he

00:35:16.489 - 00:35:32.639

uh renounced being a a board member of the audience that day because he felt that I was, I was the one that brought the workers to pick at the union hall. I go, wow, man, that is a shame. That is fucking interesting. And then you know,

00:35:32.770 - 00:35:47.580

and then Cuca begins to, to start being a, I think we call a a double agent, you know. Because she was with us, but she was getting cozy cozy, you know, with Sergio, and then it's when they appoint her or something, you know, a trustee, they

00:35:47.580 - 00:36:04.360

appointed her a trustee and all of a sudden she begins to act different. Gloria would tell you, you know, we, we, we disassociated with her because she started acting weird like like Sergio and we didn't want to do her, you know. Later on she came back

00:36:04.360 - 00:36:19.280

again, but she, she didn't want nothing to do with us. She also blamed us, you know, she was already a trustee, I think, and she came also saying that we have brought in the workers to pick at them. Yeah, it was awful. I had no idea

00:36:19.280 - 00:36:36.179

the shit was going on. Oh yeah, oh yeah. It's too bad. And then for a while we lost contact when Sergio left. I mean, um, Chabelo left and it was funny because Even when Chabelo, you know, went to a couple of meetings afterwards, you know, and

00:36:36.179 - 00:36:48.550

I was still in council and everything, sometimes I would come around. I always was call, I always say hello to him, you know. Um, when he retired, I even ran into him a couple of times. I ran to him one time at the beach and I

00:36:48.550 - 00:37:18.659

just saw him and his wife and he said hello. I said that he has a fucking good pension, you know, helped him get elected, he's actually. Yeah he was a nice guy, man, you know, he was really nice. I had a lot of respect for him.

00:37:19.030 - 00:37:55.290

But once, once he, he uh got under Sergio's wings, man. I think it's a Mexican radical, you know, it's fun to talk to but. Talks about it all in a very negative way. It's not clear to me that Because most of the strikers when they recall

00:37:55.290 - 00:38:17.409

his role during the strike, man, he was just totally selfless, you know, he was in the hall 2 blah blah blah, when he became an officer. He changed, you know, and a lot of people do. And then I started hearing, you know, complaints from the workers

00:38:17.409 - 00:38:37.469

later, you know, about how he was handling their, I mean, now I understand. I mean, you know, shit, you can, you never satisfy the members, you know. You know Well, yeah, it's, you know, what are you gonna do for me right now I'm paying you, you

00:38:37.469 - 00:39:00.314

know, that's occasionally I hear all the time you know there was one thing we can't very effectively you know you know unless you got a real good. paying my dues, how about, how about being late because your car break down? Yeah, I have a right now

00:39:00.314 - 00:39:24.770

that he wants me to go talk to the big cheese, you know, to be excused for being late because his car broke down. dealing with that kind of stuff yeah yeah yeah um. Oh, nice win it. Do you, do you remember any internal discussions of that,

00:39:25.149 - 00:39:39.199

you know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the local, uh, 9/12 election after they happened, you know, did we sum it up in the old way like, I mean, I Manuel had his own take on it. He says, you know, we shouldn't have been trying for

00:39:39.199 - 00:39:59.729

the top spots. We should have just sort of confined to small offices that were winnable, only a few candidates try to get our foot in the door and Gloria wanted to run for president. Sergio. You know we were in a position to argue with that. Because

00:39:59.729 - 00:40:13.810

we respected them, you know, we respect them, we always say we respect their opinion, you know, and uh yeah, we were not there to tell them what they should do and I think that's why we developed a, you know, a good line with them, a good

00:40:13.810 - 00:40:24.959

relationship, and they will tell you today. They never came and tried to tell us what to do. And I think it was right. I think that, you know, maybe it was a A little bit of interest, but I think it was good. We gave him a

00:40:24.959 - 00:40:47.020

run off, you know, I mean it would have been nice to win, but a lot of this stuff was. It was like, hey man, this is what we this is how we felt at the moment, you know. Well, um, As far as you know, I mean,

00:40:47.100 - 00:41:00.169

did you ever go by the union hall when they were having those Monday night meetings? Yeah, when the workers went, oh yeah, I was part of it. Were they, I mean, how well attended were they at the beginning? It started to build up, you know, sometimes

00:41:00.169 - 00:41:21.620

it was up and down. I mean, we would meet with them to prepare, you know, we would meet and right from the beginning of October. Well, the, the rally, you know, it's when the rally. Uh, the big rally, the one that, uh, you know, the one

00:41:21.620 - 00:41:36.090

in October, that the, the one that we went over there just to support. It was right after that rally that, that, um, Manuel, you know, meeting with some workers and with Gloria is when they started saying, hey, you know, you need to have your own leadership,

00:41:36.500 - 00:41:49.449

and it started from there. Once they won the leadership, you know, the other thing was, you know, we have to go and utilize the union. The union is yours, you know. So it was, it was pretty quick, you know, the. You know, because the thing was,

00:41:49.770 - 00:42:06.929

you know, you have a hall, you, this is your hall, you know, you know, and that we should make accountable Serio in the restaurant. So the meetings were happening every, you know, every week, we would, we would get together with the, with the strikers committee, you

00:42:06.929 - 00:42:31.189

know, to prepare, prepare agendas, you know. You know, to, to plan out and we will have meetings to uh To um Announced, you know, that we need a volunteers to travel to go places and here's where John Silver and his friend will come, you know, because

00:42:31.189 - 00:42:42.590

what they did was video. That's all they they just didn't use any of the footage. Well, they came in in video, you know, they would come in in video meetings. That's all they did was, man, how easy. All they do is, you know, we build all

00:42:42.590 - 00:42:55.929

this stuff and he just comes in video, you know, and then we said, watch, man, and then he's gonna create a video and then he makes it look like he was the one that organized. Well, I, you know. That's the old Michael Moore, you know, the

00:42:55.929 - 00:43:09.899

way to get your audience's attention in a movie is to put yourself into the story, you know, I. I wouldn't have done it that way, but you know I think it be a fly on the wall, you know, to be part of the show, but um.

00:43:11.199 - 00:43:50.110

That's the way I did. All right. No, no, remember we said, we said Wednesday? Remember we said, we said that uh we're gonna look at our calendars and tomorrow, tomorrow is Wednesday, OK, OK, Tomorrow 18th, tomorrow we can do it, OK. What, well, you guys say

00:43:50.110 - 00:44:12.159

one o'clock? At one o'clock and we'll be at the Starbucks, OK, one o'clock. All right, see you then. Bye-bye. or Oh, I know what I want to ask you. Yeah, we can wait until she comes. She has, she hasn't arrived yet. It's one of my stewards

00:44:12.159 - 00:44:44.020

from Ola, Sonia Ola. With Uh-huh. Do you recall who spoke at that October rally? I know Manuel got tossed off the stage at one point, you know. Oh no, talk, talk. I think he did, you know, I, the, the whole thing I I think you did.

00:44:44.989 - 00:45:02.159

Because he was the leader, uh, John, I mean say he talked, he was, it was all white people. I think Jose Lopez talk, he was a big Latino chingon. Um, I don't think Gloria, I don't think Gloria. No, no, no, she came in from a trip

00:45:02.159 - 00:45:33.189

that she was with Manuel. It was all them. It was all TDU. A couple of the workers, they did, they had a couple of words. I want to get this straight because do you remember which ones? Oh, I want to get this straight. and

00:45:33.189 - 00:45:55.465

it was really, you know, you know. You said they had a couple of strikers. I think there are a couple of workers, you know, I don't remember, but I know that that was what the government really remember yeah, he was pissed off because we were organizing

00:45:55.955 - 00:46:12.179

the the line of the workers, you know, because when we asked the workers I go so because we got the night before and we asked, so who's organizing the rally? Where is the leadership, you know, and Are you guys having a meeting to talk about safety

00:46:12.659 - 00:46:28.300

and security, and they said, uh, tomorrow, tomorrow, uh, you know, barbecue, barbecue, barbecu. So when we got there next morning at the park, you know, Barbecue grabbed a couple of people and he started talking and this I remember is when, when, um, when we said with

00:46:28.300 - 00:46:40.360

Manuel, we said, why don't we just, we'll go and grab some workers. We grab, we grab 10 workers or 20, and then we told them, you guys gonna recruit. 10 each, you know, so that's how we build a little force and then we were, we brought

00:46:40.360 - 00:46:57.159

our own, you know, about 60 people in buses and we put our people also, you know, as security with with the strikers and what we did was to build a wall between the workers and the police, you know. And that's how the workers, that's how we

00:46:57.159 - 00:47:13.439

gain the respect of the workers, you know, when they saw us, that we helped them out, we help them organize. That's how they were able to, that's how they saw us as leaders. Um, Guina just went like that. I mean, she went from being a CD

00:47:13.439 - 00:47:29.790

you act to being really anti. Because her boyfriend was very pretty Jewish, you know, Jose, her boyfriend was very pretty Jewish, you know, yeah, he was very leftist. Jose Lopez, you know, maybe it was like, you know, the rally she was trashing, you know, I think

00:47:29.790 - 00:47:56.219

that she got pissed off when she saw what happened, you know, when she saw that the leadership was all white, she saw that when we tried to meet, you know, with Joe and Kari and Karen, they, they just chi us, you know, she couldn't believe it.

00:47:56.229 - 00:48:23.469

She goes. The people came to support us, you know, and you just them. This is actually I was hoping to understand better, but I I think part of it is that you, you know, that's true, you know this is why you know it's like I I

00:48:23.469 - 00:48:37.530

can. Trying to pull little pieces together that way. It was funny the other day, you know, I was 2 weeks ago we went to uh Lake Tahoe to a seminar and I had two of the youngest business agents in my local. And just to start a

00:48:37.530 - 00:48:52.949

conversation, you know, they just asked me, so Oscar, how did you get involved in all this stuff? And from here to Lake Tahoe, man, all we do is talk and I, you know, give them a history, man. One of them says, wow, why don't you write

00:48:52.949 - 00:49:29.330

it down, man? And a matter of fact, I have a friend who's writing a book. I go, you know, on the strike, but he goes, but no, but all the stuff you told us right now, you know. You know, because

00:49:29.330 - 00:49:30.320

all the politics that have changed in Watsonville and, and then, you know, even in bringing up to date where Luis Alejo is and you know I mean all that stuff you know chapters and you know that's what I'm able to do you ought to get together

00:49:30.320 - 00:49:46.780

with. She knows all her old students and Get them together and film it, you know, get them talking, you know, you can do that better than I, you know, more ideas and do another distorted movie. But, you know, it's funny. I didn't know if you don't

00:49:46.780 - 00:50:26.594

know how people have learned more about the strike. So that's throats, you know, you know, people on the left at the end of the day we're all working. Oh yeah, that's fine I mean I I I, you know, you know, you know, you know, I remember

00:50:26.594 - 00:50:45.000

last time I had um we went to uh Larry and Lucy's house when he presented, you know, his trip to. To the Middle East, Middle East. And I was talking to Susan Marr and Susan said to me, Have you read Barbey's book, you know, on the

00:50:45.000 - 00:50:56.239

UFW and I go, No, I haven't read it, you know, and she says, why? I go, I don't think big shit about barbecue, you know, I don't know, but she tells me, you know, she goes, Oh, come on, Oscar, don't be sectarian, you know, we're all

00:50:56.239 - 00:51:30.159

sectarian, which is true, but I was the one that took bullshit. You know it wasn't, you know, you know. He confuses like how you broccoli with how you, you know, for all that it's a terrific, you know, than anything else that's been, you know. Uh, strike

00:51:39.330 - 00:51:51.469

that's what it means to me in a baseball, yeah. I mean it comes up on your. So I'm just the one I'm waiting for. Look, if you've got a little bit more oh yeah, she's not here, man, you know. So I mean just in terms of

00:51:51.469 - 00:52:09.250

writing a book about your past, um. What were you doing before you went to Watsonville and you volunteered to go down there, right? You were working in the mission before that on what? Immigration stuff or what? I was working. Uh, no, I was working with the

00:52:09.250 - 00:52:22.810

hotel workers. I was volunteer Rafa was volunteer organizing, I think it was Park 55, I think it was one of one of those hotels. Were you working on? Yeah, well, you know, I was volunteer with them and they were starting to me to start organizing and

00:52:22.810 - 00:52:38.719

this is how we were in a, um, in an organized drive when, when, uh, they mentioned 8 there's some strikers coming from Watsonville today this afternoon, you know, they're gonna come and talk because of the issues going on over there. So they said they're gonna be

00:52:38.719 - 00:52:53.320

here in our hall. Why don't, you know, come on over and bring some people over and so we went over there and the strikers came and talked and, you know, and I think one of them was, uh, was Aurora, you know, uh, I'm not sure if

00:52:53.320 - 00:53:05.959

it was Guillermina. They came to talk, you know, at the hall. But there were a few of them that talk and I was very impressed, man, and, and then, uh, we said the league said, hey man, you know, this is an issue that we should go

00:53:05.959 - 00:53:27.010

and look into. Let's go and support it, you know, and that's how we organize a bunch of buses. Then my, my task was, why don't you go ahead. You know, and, and go with Raya, you know, Reina Diaz, you know, Manuel's mom, because she's, uh, she's

00:53:27.010 - 00:53:39.290

involved, you know, and, you know, and, uh, she's a pueda I mean we in the organization and, and, um, why don't you just go and, and, and you meet her over there. I think I met her over there and, uh, they said, you go over there,

00:53:39.409 - 00:53:54.830

you know, and there were some contacts already and you're gonna hook up with this contact which was Guillermina. I think it was Guermina who invited who came down to speak, you know, to the hall, and, uh, then when I came down, you know, we were gonna

00:53:54.830 - 00:54:12.149

come and you know, probably stay in a hotel or something and then she said, you know, no, you know, you're not gonna stay in a hotel, we're gonna get you to stay in some workers home. And so they, they hooked us up with some workers. You

00:54:12.149 - 00:54:29.669

were working you actually, do you have a job in a hotel, I was, I was, uh, at that time, I think I was in disability because I had heard of myself from UPS. So I, so I had a little bit of time and I was volunteering

00:54:29.669 - 00:55:09.239

in, in uh local too. That's how I was able to come to because I was on disability. Just leaving. OK, she's coming, you know. Yeah, I wrote a piece for the red like you to come here. I remember, you know, I remember that I,

00:55:09.260 - 00:55:20.114

uh, it was a weekend that I had my kids, you know, and I brought with me and we came down, you know, and. The strike, it was pretty intense and next day, man, they, they walked with me in the in the line, you know. Now that

00:55:20.114 - 00:55:34.090

I remember, I don't even know where they were, you know, or if I left them somewhere. I don't remember if I, you know, I probably left them somewhere in a home of somebody's. You were talking about your parents. Uh, you know, you, you grew up in

00:55:34.090 - 00:55:54.719

the mission? Well, I came when I was 11, you know, from El Salvador and went and lived, you know. Went and and lived a few years, not even too long around the Fillmore area, Waller and Fillmore, and then we went to the Celsior district and you

00:55:54.719 - 00:56:14.610

know, and then I finished my, uh, I finished my grammar, my junior high, my junior high in Coma, you know, Bay City, yeah. Yeah, in Coma Daly City. That's what I, what I did, you know. You guys, I remember your brother was one of, yeah, so

00:56:14.610 - 00:56:43.729

you would have been living on the mission. Where are they all cheek? Don't ask me about cell phones, man. I'm useless. Were you in San Mateo? Yeah, I went to the program. No, my brother was not. That's how I was recruited by my friends because after,

00:56:43.800 - 00:56:58.120

after high school, I went to Daly City and then I graduated from Jefferson High. Then after graduating in '68, man, I fucking wanted to go join the Air Force, but I was not a citizen, so didn't want to take me. And then my friends that I

00:56:58.120 - 00:57:14.739

went to high school, they started getting involved in San Francisco State strike. And then they went, you know, Mario, Mario Martinez, you know, then they went San Francisco. Well, they went and supported the strike I met the Martinez. Yeah, no, they were, they went in support

00:57:14.739 - 00:57:30.080

of the strike. He went in support of this with Nelson. But they really started going to the readiness program in San Mateo. See, I, I remember Aaron. I interviewed him they they met him, you know, and they became very involved in the politics over there and

00:57:30.080 - 00:57:41.600

very militant, and then they started coming down and talking to me and my friends and I go, hey man, we need to go to school. And then I started seeing them all radical, I go, fuck, this guys are communist, man, because they were coming with little

00:57:41.600 - 00:58:08.520

harming my button I shit. That was an ATMs. Oh yeah, that's not. Yeah, that's, you know, that's, you know that was before we're talking 89. No, no it was 69, and that's when it happened, man, and it was, I was going to school and uh that's

00:58:08.520 - 00:58:22.600

when everything happened, you know, as I was going to college, man, you know, um, I was going to college in San Mateo, that was my first semester. It was the first year, the first semester you're a little younger than me, you know, yeah, first semester and

00:58:22.600 - 00:58:43.149

that's when everything broke loose, man. You know, everything broke loose and uh this uh oh yeah, there was the the the prior the spring semester the no the yeah the spring semesters one got real wild, man. We came in the summer, OK, and because it was

00:58:43.149 - 00:59:00.790

during the, no, no, the. The winter is when they got real heavy. We came, we came in, we came in at the at the spring because we were starting February, March, April, yeah, and then it's when May we're ready to finish, you know, and we're all

00:59:00.790 - 00:59:19.459

planning to go to Central America when Los Zeta happened and then when Los Zeta happened it's when everything, every all my life changed, you know, start with the politics. That was '69. I, I do remember uh. Yeah. Reading about what was happening at CSM and going

00:59:19.459 - 01:00:22.699

down there looking for Bob Hoover I guess yeah. Long I don't know. Yeah. It is when a lot of those students came to the Los Certo Defense Committee. Roger Alvarado, Jose, um, I mean, you name it, and

01:00:22.699 - 01:00:47.439

they, they were the ones that came to, to be the supporting group and. Yeah. So That was kind of when you got recruited. That's why I got recruited. I got recruited, no, before. See, I got recruited man during the, the spring uh semester, uh it started

01:00:47.439 - 01:01:18.770

in '69 by, by uh Mario and Tony, especially Tony Martinez. They started, they started going to San Mateo College and they're the ones that said we have to go back to the mission and bring those bring our friends to school. Yeah, I remember meeting them uh

01:01:18.770 - 01:01:46.840

didn't talk to them for really long but. I was impressed. You know, he seemed like a very serious guy. Who did you meet? I don't know. Well, what happened was that, you know, it wasn't them, but it was the other couple of they were very lumping,

01:01:46.879 - 01:02:01.794

you know, you know, they thought they were big shit and when they came out. Yeah. You know, they started doing things that they should have, and they got in trouble and then of course they went after everybody else. Yeah, they got my brother, they broke his

01:02:01.794 - 01:02:16.485

jaw. Jesus. Oh yeah, you know, he was out there. He should have been out there, you know, so they grabbed, he ended up in the hospital. They beat him up, broke his jaw, man. They were angry. You don't want to be next to them. And the

01:02:16.485 - 01:02:33.229

reason that I, you know, stay away because I first I've never been in trouble and And I stayed away from them, you know, otherwise, uh, you know, and, um. That that was my, my baptism to the politics, man, you know, and, and, and I always tell

01:02:33.229 - 01:02:47.179

people that was the thing that changed my life. If I would have been involved in that, I don't know where I was because I was heading in different ways, you know, like everybody was, you know. Yeah, that was 69. Summer '69, May 1st, when it happened

01:02:47.179 - 01:03:12.820

on May Day. Oh yeah, that, that happens then, then after, you know, happens in 69. They spent 18 months in jail and they come out almost at the end of 70. Yeah, almost at the end of '70 and then after the end of 70, we had

01:03:12.820 - 01:03:31.459

to change our name from Locierto organization with that name because it had all the stuff they did and we changed it to uh La Raza Collective and then La Raza Collective, the Rasa Workers Collective, we started it and we started meeting, you know, and then, you

01:03:31.459 - 01:03:48.909

know, the East Bay Labor Collective had has also, you know, has started. I used to play La collective. They were doing their thing over there with, with Chente, you know. Oh, Nas is in the boulders union and uh and um Joe Joe was with us in

01:03:48.909 - 01:04:09.540

San Francisco, you know, he was in Osiete, you know, we recruited him for the for the project, yeah, Reese was with them over there and you know, with gente and uh um Roberto Robert Hernandez, he's dead, um. Tell you all this stuff, man. This is, this

01:04:09.540 - 01:04:28.590

is interesting. So it was happening, it was happening so fast and I was a daddy. You know, my kid was the first daddy of everybody, you know. You know So we had issues with the woman question. There was a lot of stuff, Peter, man. Uh, and

01:04:28.590 - 01:04:46.739

then, then the, the, the La Rosa Collective hooks up, you know, with East Bay Labor Collective, then we all hook up with Los Angeles, you know, group that was happening over there, and that's how ATM comes about, you know. Then another group from, from, uh, New

01:04:46.739 - 01:05:06.199

Mexico, you know, hooks up. That's how we build ATM. ATM comes about, it's happening in New Mexico, they came out of, uh, she's uh. No, not really. They were involved in some organizing over there. There was a good group and I think that those were probably

01:05:06.199 - 01:05:24.379

where the agents were because they were the ones that started and. You know, dividing and split, you know, the, the workers, you know, ATM, but by that time, ATM was already starting to talk to other groups, you know, and then we started to talk to Edward

01:05:24.379 - 01:06:00.879

Coon and, and, you know, the young lords that was left in New York and then, then it's how from there the leaks work. All the stuff. Well, actually it would have been. I was tired of being the bowl of milk that was going on, man. No,

01:06:08.979 - 01:06:19.850

well, so much seemed then, you know, you look back and I go, wow, it was, it was, I was, uh. We went down to this gallery, you know, in downtown Oakland, uh, last week. Emery Douglas was having a little show, all of his old, you know,

01:06:20.459 - 01:06:35.020

uh. you know. Let me I'll be right back. Go go.