Gilbert Padilla facts for kids

Gilbert Padilla (born December 1927) is an American labor leader and civil rights activist. He helped start the National Farm Workers Association (NWFA). This group later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). He worked with famous leaders like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

Gilbert Padilla was a key person in the UFW. He was vice president of the NWFA. Later, he became secretary-treasurer of the UFW. He helped the union grow. He organized new members, boycotts, and strikes. In 1965, he led a rent strike in Tulare County. This strike helped get attention for the Delano grape strike that happened later that year.

Early Life

Gilbert Padilla was born in Los Banos, California. His parents had moved there a few years before he was born. His family lived in a labor camp called San Juan Camp. Gilbert grew up watching his parents work hard in the fields. During World War II, Gilbert and his brothers joined the army. He served with the U.S. Army in Japan.

Becoming an Activist

After the war, Gilbert Padilla returned home in the 1940s. It was hard to find jobs in Los Banos. Many guest workers from Mexico, called braceros, were working in the fields. Gilbert found that foremen were offering lower wages to local workers. He was upset by this unfair treatment.

In 1955, he met Cesar Chavez. This meeting started a long partnership. Gilbert lived in Hanford, California. He worked part-time as a dry cleaner and onion gleaner. At first, he wasn't interested in joining the Community Service Organization (CSO). He thought it was just a "social club."

But a long talk with Chavez and Peter B Garcia changed his mind. They discussed how to make farm workers' lives better. The CSO mainly helped people register to vote. It also had housing and education groups. But it didn't focus much on farm workers.

Chavez wanted to create a special group for farm workers within the CSO. He set up CSO chapters in rural areas. Many farm workers lived in these places. Gilbert Padilla was sent to Stockton. There, he studied the living conditions of local farm workers.

In 1962, Chavez's idea for a farm worker committee was not approved by the CSO. So, Chavez decided to leave his job and salary. Gilbert Padilla also relied on his CSO wages. He was worried, but he chose to follow Chavez. They visited CSO chapters to prepare for their new organization.

Building the Union

In September 1962, the National Farm Workers Association (NWFA) was created. Cesar Chavez was the president, and Gilbert Padilla was the vice president. Gilbert found new ways to get money for the group.

In January 1965, Gilbert started working with Reverend Jim Drake. By May, Drake and Padilla were organizing farm worker families. These families lived in Woodville and Linnell labor camps. They started a rent strike. The workers lived in very poor tin houses. These houses were freezing in winter and very hot in summer. They were supposed to be torn down years ago. But the California state government still charged rent. They did not fix the bad conditions.

The strike worked! The government agreed to build better homes for the farm workers. This was a big win.

In August 1965, the first grape strike happened at Rancho Blanco. This was near Porterville. Many people from the rent strike came to support the grape strike. This included Drake, farm workers, and college students Gilbert knew. To get more attention, Gilbert told the local newspaper, the Fresno Bee, about the strike. Cesar Chavez was in the hospital at the time. He later told Gilbert off for acting while he was sick.

In the next few years, Gilbert moved his family often to help the union. In December 1965, he went to Los Angeles. He helped organize a boycott against Schenley Industries. In 1966, he worked on an election in El Paso, Texas. The NWFA won an election there for the first time.

The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) was another farm worker group. It was made up of Filipino workers. They sometimes disagreed with the NWFA. Chavez and Padilla worked with Larry Itliong to combine the groups. This helped both organizations. In 1973, Gilbert Padilla was elected secretary-treasurer of the new UFW.

Later, Cesar Chavez's leadership style changed. Some key members began to leave the union. Gilbert Padilla left in 1980. He was disappointed that his loyalty was questioned.

Personal Life

Gilbert Padilla has been married twice. His second wife, Esther Negrete Padilla, was very involved in his union work. For a time, she worked in the fields to support Gilbert. She was the first Latina elected to the Fresno City Council. She served from 1991 to 1995. Esther died in 2013.

Gilbert Padilla now lives in Fresno, California. He leads an active life with his family and friends. Many former union members and friends visit him regularly.