United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America facts for kids

The United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA) was a special kind of group called a labor union. It started in 1937. This union brought together many workers from different backgrounds, including Mexican, Black, Asian, and White people, who worked in food processing. The people who started UCAPAWA wanted it to be a national organization where power came from the workers themselves, not just from the top leaders. Even though it didn't last for a very long time, UCAPAWA made a big difference in the lives of many workers. It was especially important for women and minority workers in the union.

UCAPAWA later changed its name in 1944 to the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers (FTA).

How UCAPAWA Started

The United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA) was formed because a bigger union, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), didn't listen to workers who wanted better conditions in farms and food processing.

A very active organizer named Donald Henderson led UCAPAWA. He was a young teacher from Columbia University. Henderson believed it was very important to show the tough conditions faced by Black and Mexican American workers. He wanted to organize them to improve their lives and jobs. Henderson said that the union cared deeply about the problems faced by "Negro people and the Mexican and Spanish American peoples." He saw that these groups often didn't have civil rights, were paid very little, lived in poor housing, and couldn't get good education.

In 1937, Henderson helped UCAPAWA become part of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). This happened after the AFL had not supported them.

Forming the Union

Donald Henderson and other worker representatives met in Denver in July 1937. They decided to form UCAPAWA because the AFL wouldn't create a union for farm workers. The CIO, which focused on organizing all workers in an industry, quickly gave UCAPAWA its official approval. One main reason for starting UCAPAWA was to help farm workers and those in packing and canning factories during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people struggled to find jobs and earn enough money.

Who UCAPAWA Represented

UCAPAWA represented many different groups of workers. This included Mexican workers in sugar beet fields and Black sharecroppers in states like Arkansas and Missouri. They also helped Asian-American workers, such as Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese cannery workers in Washington.

The union was especially strong among Mexican and Mexican American workers. In 1940, a newspaper called the San Francisco News said UCAPAWA was the "fastest growing agricultural union in California." They said this was because it appealed so much to Mexican and Mexican American workers. Other groups also supported the union, like the John Steinbeck Committee to Aid Agricultural Organization.

Union Beliefs and Challenges

UCAPAWA believed in "trade union democracy." This meant that both the leaders and the regular members shared the idea that the union should be run by its members. Some UCAPAWA leaders also had strong political beliefs.

When UCAPAWA joined with the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU) in Arkansas, there were disagreements. Leaders from both groups had different ideas about politics and how to run the union. The STFU thought that sharecroppers and tenant farmers couldn't be organized because they were too poor and uneducated.

UCAPAWA disagreed. They believed that farm workers could learn how to run their local union groups and that members should support their own organization. Another difference was that STFU wanted a central government for the union, while UCAPAWA believed in a more spread-out system. After the STFU left, UCAPAWA's rules made sure that local groups had control over their own decisions and at least half of the money collected from members.

This disagreement with STFU was a big moment for UCAPAWA. Farm unions often didn't have the right to bargain for better pay and faced problems from local communities. Because of this, UCAPAWA started to focus more on workers in processing plants instead of just in the fields.

UCAPAWA stood out from other unions because it represented workers that traditional unions often ignored. Union leaders made an effort to hire Black, Mexican, Asian, and women organizers. This helped them reach out to minority groups and women. UCAPAWA started helping workers in many different areas, from fishing to canneries, processing plants, and even tobacco factories.

Women's Important Role

Women played a very important part in UCAPAWA, especially Mexican women. Women made up half of UCAPAWA's total members, and they were very active. They did many jobs, from negotiating contracts to organizing events. Having women organize other women became a key part of the union. Women were excited to join a union that truly encouraged their involvement and gave them chances to become leaders.

UCAPAWA's food and tobacco local groups successfully got higher wages and benefits that were very important for women. In fact, one of the most important positions, Vice President, was held by Dorothy Ray Healey. She was a left-wing activist who helped connect with different ethnic communities and supported equal rights for all races. Healey was helped by college students and young activists who worked in the plants during the summer and helped organize.

Even though UCAPAWA faced financial challenges, it was one of the few unions that allowed women to hold leadership roles. Women in UCAPAWA pushed for important benefits like maternity leave and equal pay. They were leaders in the fight for women's equality. By 1937, Donald Henderson reported that the union had over 120,000 members in more than 300 local groups.

By 1946, almost nine out of ten cannery contracts set the lowest wage at sixty-five cents an hour. Two-thirds of these contracts included "equal pay for equal work" rules. Even more importantly, three-fourths of them allowed time off for pregnancy or other reasons without losing job seniority. Four-fifths of the agreements also included benefits like paid vacations and extra pay for working night shifts. More than half had rules about paid holidays, union input on how much workers were paid for each piece they made, and overtime pay after forty hours per week.

Key Strikes Involving Women

During the 1938 San Antonio pecan shellers strike in San Antonio, led by Emma Tenayuca, UCAPAWA president Henderson sent organizer Luisa Moreno to help. Tenayuca had already started the Texas Pecan Shelling Workers Union, UCAPAWA Local 172. Their main complaints against the Seligmann Company were a 15% pay cut, terrible plant conditions, and not being paid for work done at home. The strike, which became violent with tear gas used against strikers, ended with UCAPAWA's local group being recognized and workers getting a minimum wage. Local police in San Antonio responded by attacking Tenayuca and the UCAPAWA local leaders, arresting them and accusing them of "Communist Agitation."

In 1939, UCAPAWA Vice-President Dorothy Ray Healey was very important in helping workers at the California Sanitary Canning Company (Cal San) in Los Angeles form a union. These workers went on strike in August of that year. Union members protested outside the cannery, grocery stores that sold Cal San products, and the homes of the plant owners. When faced with children holding signs that said things like "I'm underfed because Mama is underpaid," the owners met with union negotiators and quickly reached an agreement. The Cal San local group became UCAPAWA's second largest, and the union grew to include workers at several other canneries in California.

Major Strikes and Support

One of UCAPAWA's early strikes was the 1939 Madera Cotton Strike. Even though it faced a violent reaction from a group called the Associated Farmers, the strike succeeded in getting a minimum wage for union members. It also showed how different ethnic groups could work together, with African American, Mexican American, and White American workers all taking part in the strike.

In Seattle, Washington, UCAPAWA represented Filipino cannery workers from 1937 to 1947. This was a great example of UCAPAWA supporting a minority group that was often ignored by bigger unions.

In Texas, UCAPAWA was key in helping workers from feed, flour, and cotton mills form unions and unite. During a 1938 strike by shrimp-processing plant workers, a UCAPAWA organizer was killed while protesting.

After strikes, Dorothy Healey helped explain how to elect leaders and the general rules of the union. The cannery workers who had led the strike were chosen for all the main leadership positions. UCAPAWA organizers Luke Hinman and Ted Rasmussen later took over from Healey, starting an organizing effort at the California Walnut Growers' Association plant.

The End of UCAPAWA

In the South, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU) joined with UCAPAWA. However, a power struggle quickly began between the groups. This led to a protest in 1939 against the eviction of sharecroppers in Missouri, which the national UCAPAWA organization did not support. As a result, the STFU left the union.

While some people believed UCAPAWA was too involved with certain political ideas, many members saw themselves as more liberal. The debate about whether union leaders supported Communism caused arguments among local leaders. Historian Vicki L. Ruiz wrote that "UCAPAWA certainly had a leftist stance, though the nature and extent of its leftist ideology will continue to be debated." Despite their political leanings, UCAPAWA showed that it could organize some of the country's most vulnerable workers. It also proved that women and minority groups could play a very important role in the labor movement.

In 1944, UCAPAWA changed its name to the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural, and Allied Workers (FTA). By 1946, the Los Angeles local group "collapsed under the weight of Red Scare witchhunts." This refers to a time when people were very afraid of Communism, and many groups were accused of being Communist. By 1950, the FTA had only about 1,000 members. It then joined with other local unions to form the Distributive and Processing Workers of America. This union lasted until 1954, when its members joined the Retail Workers as District 65.