Strike!

What is a strike?• A strike is when a group of workers agree to

stop working. They do this when they want to protest against something they think is unfair where they work.

• Strikes sometimes happen so that politicians have to listen more carefully to the workers.

Why do workers go on strike?

Workers go on strike for different reasons:• to get improvements where

they work• for more money• for shorter working days• to stop their wages going

down• because they think their

company has been unfair

Why would migrant workers like Marta want to strike?

Mexican apricot pickers. June 22, 1935. Dorothea Lange, photographer.

"[When] they have finished harvesting my crops, I will kick them out on the country road. My obligation is ended."

- California farmerMany migrant farm workers lived in squalor. Shelters were not always provided, and if they were, they were usually just shacks. Dirt floors were common, and they often did not have walls, roofs, and doors. Camps would only rarely have running water. Usually water had to be carried from a river or ditch, and the dirty water was a constant danger to people’s health. Often, farm owners charged rent even for such poor and dangerous shelters.

Imperial Valley – People in Camps. 1935. Dorothea Lange, photographer.

"Shelters were made of almost every conceivable thing - burlap, canvas, palm branches." - A California minister's report of a labor camp in the Imperial Valley

In this photograph, a family gathers outside their "home" in California, a typical shack in a camp of Mexican and Mexican-American migrant farm workers during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Migrant farm workers of all races lived in temporary camps like this as they moved from farm to farm to follow the seasonal work.

What did Marta and her friends want?

• Higher pay and better housing– Working very hard for very little – only 7 cents per pound of cotton– The shelters (if provided) were barely enough to protect them from

the weather– People deserved more than that – it was not even enough to

survive

• Equal treatment and respect – Groups of people were treated differently – some people have

better camps than others– They kept different groups separate in order to keep people from

knowing about better camps

Why is a strike the answer?

• If they join together, the company will have to listen to them – there will be no one to do the work

• Having many people participate will show the company that they should be heard

• They should all stand up for what is right – it’s only way things will change

• If they don’t demand what they want, they are letting the company treat them as if they are not worthy of respect

Why wouldn’t people want to strike?

• Could lose their jobs – Wouldn’t be able to take care of their families

• Conditions in the camp aren’t that bad and they are used to it• Could be thrown out of the camp

– They would be homeless, with nowhere to go• Could be sent back to Mexico

– Some aren’t even Mexican citizens • If they refuse to work, the farms will just hire others who are

willing to work for very little– People coming from Oklahoma are so desperate that they will work

for even less

What is the right thing to do?

Write a speech in which you try to convince others to strike OR not to strike

• You must choose one or the other – to strike or NOT to strike• You must have three strong reasons why your opinion is the

right one• A good argument will mention at least one opposing reason

and explain why it is not valid– For example: “Some may say that they cannot risk losing their

jobs, but isn’t it more important to stand up for what is right?”• You must write the speech as if you were speaking to the

people who live in Esperanza’s camp