Gilbert Padilla facts for kids

Gilbert Padilla (born December 1927) is an American leader who worked for better rights for workers. He was a Civil rights activist and helped start the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). This group later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). Gilbert Padilla worked closely with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, who were also important leaders. He was a vice president and then a secretary-treasurer for these groups. He helped build the UFW by getting people to join, organizing boycotts, and leading strikes. In 1965, he led a rent strike in Tulare County, which helped bring attention to the Delano grape strike later that year.

Early Life

Gilbert Padilla was born in Los Banos, California. His family lived in a place called San Juan Camp, which was a home for farm workers. Because of this, Gilbert grew up watching his parents work hard in the fields. When World War II happened, Gilbert and his brothers joined the army. He served in Japan with the U.S. Army, 1st Cavalry Division.

Working for Change

After the war in the 1940s, Gilbert Padilla came back home to Los Banos. He found it hard to get a job because many Mexican workers called braceros were working in the fields. He also noticed that foremen were offering lower pay than what the braceros received. This made him upset, so he left that job.

Meeting Cesar Chavez

In 1955, Gilbert Padilla met Cesar Chavez. This meeting started a long partnership that lasted for many years. Gilbert lived in Hanford, California, and worked part-time cleaning clothes and gathering onions. At first, he wasn't interested in joining the Community Service Organization (CSO). He thought it was just a "social club" with short-term goals.

But then, he had a long talk with Cesar Chavez and Peter B Garcia, who was the President of the Hanford Community Services Organization. They talked about how to make things better for farm workers. This discussion changed Gilbert's mind. The CSO mainly helped people register to vote. While it had groups for housing and education, it didn't have a specific group for farm workers. Cesar Chavez wanted to create such a group. He started CSO chapters in rural areas where many farm workers lived. Gilbert Padilla went to Stockton, where he got money to study the living conditions of local farm workers.

Starting the NFWA

In 1962, at a CSO meeting, Cesar Chavez's idea for a farm worker committee was not approved. Because of this, he quit his job as director, which meant he lost his salary. Gilbert Padilla also relied on his CSO wages. He was worried by Cesar's decision but still chose to follow him. They both left the CSO and started their own organization. They visited all the rural CSO chapters to prepare people for Cesar's new plan.

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

The Rent Strike

In January 1965, Gilbert Padilla started working with Reverend Jim Drake. By May, Drake and Padilla were helping farm worker families in the Woodville and Linnell labor camps organize a rent strike.

The workers were living in very poor houses made of tin. These homes were freezing in winter and very hot in summer. They were supposed to be torn down by 1947, but the California state government ignored this. They kept charging monthly rent without making any improvements. The strike worked! The government agreed to build better homes for the farm workers on the same land.

Grape Strike and Boycotts

In August 1965, the first grape strike happened at Rancho Blanco, near Porterville. Many people who had been part of the rent strike came to support this new effort. This included Jim Drake, farm workers, and young college students that Gilbert Padilla knew. To get more attention for the strike, Gilbert decided to publish news about it in the local Fresno Bee newspaper, even though Jim Drake advised against it. Cesar Chavez was in the hospital at the time and later told Gilbert off for taking action while he was sick.

In the years that followed, Gilbert Padilla moved his family often to help the union. In December 1965, he went to Los Angeles to organize a boycott against Schenley products. In 1966, he worked on an election in El Paso, Texas, where the NFWA won an election for the first time.

Merging Unions

The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), a Filipino farm worker group, was having disagreements with the NFWA. The NFWA's goals seemed to be stepping on their territory. Cesar Chavez and Gilbert Padilla worked with Larry Itliong to combine the groups. This helped both groups work together for their shared goals. In 1973, Gilbert Padilla was chosen as the secretary-treasurer of the new group, which was now called the UFW.

However, over time, Cesar Chavez became more suspicious of people. He started to remove members from the union who he thought were against him. One by one, important members from the early days began to leave. Gilbert Padilla himself left the UFW in 1980. He was disappointed that his loyalty was being questioned.

Personal Life

Gilbert Padilla has been married twice. His second wife, Esther Negrete Padilla, was very involved in his work for workers' rights. For a while, she worked in the fields with her oldest step-son to support Gilbert. She was the first Latina woman elected to the Fresno City Council. She served for four years, from 1991 to 1995, representing an area with many Latino residents. She passed away in 2013. Gilbert Padilla currently lives in Fresno, California. He leads an active life with his family and friends. Former huelgistas (strikers) and friends visit and keep in touch with him regularly.

References

McSwain,L.1957. " 'For outstanding service...' " Pete Garcia Wins Award... The Hanford Sentinel, 179,18.