Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

and not work when the lettuce was ready to pull. They'd just sit down and look at the lettuce, not pulling it, until they got better wages. I don't think anybody did get in among them. I think it was just the nature of the case really, although it was always a mystery how these things started. These people had no leaders that you could put your finger on. In every village and hamlet they had spokesmen who were ready to talk their heads off, but whether they really had any true representation of the people who were doing the work or not, I don't know. They were certainly not organized into any kind of a trade union, or connected with any trade union movement, although it's true that every trade union movement that was looking for new members would run down and see what they could do with the agricultural workers. Before two or three years were over there were two or three unions of agricultural workers getting under way.

There broke out in the Imperial Valley, in the San Joaquin Valley, and still further south, unexpectedly a great wave of strikes accompanied by the greatest amount of shouting, rioting around, dramatic actions, what was sometimes called violence. But, so far as I can remember, there was very little true violence, very little destruction of property, although there was an occasional barn set on fire, or a few things like that. The peculiar thing about