Overview

On September 9, 1985, one thousand mainly Mexican women workers in Watsonville, California, the ""frozen food capital of the world,"" were forced out on strike in response to an attempt by Watsonville Canning owner, Mort Console, to break their union. They returned to work eighteen months later. Not one had crossed the picket line. A moribund union has been revitalized, and Watsonville's Latino majority emerged as a major force in local politics. At a time when organized labor was in headlong retreat, the Watsonville Canning strike was a dramatic show of the power of women workers, whose struggle became a rallying point for the Chicano movement. Apart from its sheer drama, the strikers' story illuminates the challenges facing a group of ordinary working people who waged a protracted and ultimately successful struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds.

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9781608466801

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Reviews

Peter Shapiro combines wonderful story telling with a sharp historian's analysis to explain an important but little-known corner of the US labor movement. Song of the Stubborn One Thousand is a story of hope and inspiration. It's a must read for anyone interested in the power of working people and minorities. Freelance journalist Reese Erlich, who covered the strike for the Christian Science Monitor I ve waited nearly 25-years for this book. Against all odds, for 18-months, the mostly Latina strikers sacrificed, built their union, and no one crossed their picket line. With attention to detail, patience, and most of all empathy Shapiro takes the readers on the 18-month peregrination with the Stubborn One Thousand. This is a book that every organizer needs to read. Fernando E. Gapasin, co-author of Solidarity Divided Peter Shapiro has written a powerful book about one of the most important labor and civil rights battles since World War Two - the Watsonville strike. He shows clearly that workers won because of the interaction between the mostly Mexican immigrant strikers, the reform movement in the Teamsters, and organizations and leaders on the left. It was this synthesis, with all its problems, that gave the strike its power, and has made it a touchstone for radical strategy and tactics since. It is an inspiring story, told skillfully through the eyes and words of its participants. Read this book. David Bacon, author of Children of NAFTA and Illegal People

Author Information

Peter Shapiro: Peter Shapiro is a retired letter carrier and longtime labor journalist. His union paper was repeatedly honored during his tenure as editor, and he has published in Labor Notes, Labor Studies Journal, Unity, and The Nation.

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