In the documentary, "Viva La Causa" the working conditions for the migrant field workers were very poor and described as, "hard work, low pay." The video showed men wiping sweat off their faces with bandanas, so it was a clear indication that they worked in high temperatures and were not properly hydrated at all. They earned approximately a dollar an hour with no health benefits and the government did little to help. There were no laws set in place to protect them. According to a strike leader named Roberto A. Bustos, he described the toxic pesticides that were sprayed on the fields while they worked, "We didn 't know what kind of spray it was or what was it for. Nobody told us anything and …show more content…
They had little money and zero support from politicians. The strikes were dangerous and had very little progress. They were being threatened and intimidated by growers, police, and Delano residents. It was important to spread the word to the American public and ask for their support, so that they can be recognized by the government. Young people were asked to help participate in the strikes. There began to be strict rules in regards to the strikes, such as forbidding them to wear shirts with the union logo and banning outbursts of, "huelga" or "strike" on the picket line. People were arrested and strikes were always being broken.
One of the main factors that motivated people to get involved in La Causa were primarily because of the families of the strikers. They were living in poverty, struggling to find decent housing and unable to properly care for their children. Another factor that motivated people to get involved in La Causa was the presence of New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Jerry Cohen from the Union General Counsel stated that, "Kennedy 's presence helped focus national media on what was going on." Kennedy cared about the hope for the future and also helped popularize the …show more content…
I know that there is a recreational park and a school named after him, but I was not familiar with his history. I am also a big fan of George Lopez and when the film began, I instantly recognized his voice. What really caught my attention was the, "Grapes of Wrath: The Forgotten Filipinos Who Led A Farmworker Revolution" article on the NPR website. I am Filipina myself, so I had no idea that the Filipinos made a huge impact in this movement as well. The film was very fixated on the Mexican American farmworkers and Chavez, but very little on the Filipinos. However, the film was very moving and it did a very good job depicting the struggle that the farmworkers had to go