Cannery Women and Cannery Lives
Fighting for equal rights is an uphill battle. In Cannery Women, Cannery Lives, the goal for all the labor workers was to earn better wages and working conditions. Women in Ruiz’s book would work in plantations or canneries, packing food under harsh conditions. It was not uncommon to see ‘wet floors, hazardous machinery, and tyrannical supervisors (Ruiz, pg. 36)’ inside the canneries as worker safety and fairness was not something that was important to corporate executives. Had the higherups been concerned with the safety of their workers, the problem would not have arisen in the first place. It was because of their treatment of their workers that people rallied together and created unions. These unsafe work conditions were common amongst places other than South America; there were instances where ‘during World War II, some Orange County cannery operatives, stranded without any daycare, resorted to locking their small children in their cars (Ruiz, pg. 36)’.
Not all women had their husband with them to help raise a child and had no choice but to leave their small children in cars. The option to put them in daycare or nurseries was a luxury they could not afford. These awful work conditions were not limited to just South America; the US had their fair share of not treating their workers like human beings. Another challenge was the resistance and blocks from the police and corporate executives. The sheriffs of Delano were in cahoots with the vineyard owner and turned a blind eye to the physical harm the workers and protestors received from the white ranchers (Chavez). A scene in the movie concerned all the heads of different corporations eating a nice dinner talking about how to crush the movement (Chavez). These scenes further prove that Along with the grape workers, the braceros had their fair share of injustices.
A startling image from the documentary involves hundreds, if not thousands, of workers being corralled and transported like animals (HOL). The hopeful workers were transported in livestock trucks and trains and had to endure dehumanizing physical exams (HOL). The foremen did not care if a worker needed to rest or drink water; the work had to be complete before they could leave.
Difficulties of Organizing Workers
Organizing a group of people is never an easy feat to complete. In Cesar Chavez, the Union workers and Chavez had to fight for what was right for them; the workers needed better wages and better working conditions. However, none of the events would have happened had there not been people willing to fight with Chavez and the union. A big challenge Chavez faced was trying to rouse up the workers to fight for themselves.
A common theme that each of the sources has is that fighting for better wages and work conditions is not an easy task to complete. In all sources, the struggle for better work conditions took years and years; this is not achievable in a day. Meetings with workers and corporate executives, spreading awareness to the injustices that corporations put unto its workers, and rallying all took time and a considerable amount of effort.
Role of Women
Another common similarity found in the sources was that women were integral to the fight for better wages and work environment. Helen Chavez was a strong but silent figure beside her husband, supporting him and even getting arrested because she believed in him and believed in the cause (Chavez). Not only was she the primary caretaker of eight children, but she was also active in the union and helped protest the corporations with Cesar. While she did not work in the fields, she knew how much her fellow brothers and sisters struggled and so Helen took it upon herself to do what she could so that the workers would be able to get what they deserve. The cannery women in Ruiz’s book were formidable women themselves; they organized workers, were integrated into high positions of UCAPAWA, and they found strength in being a woman and being able to fight for themselves.
The wives who were left behind while their husbands went to America were also strong women; they had the sole responsibility of raising the children by themselves without the guarantee that money will come (HOL). It was never a sure deal that their husbands would be able to work as a bracero in America; there was only a handful of the healthiest and experienced men who were chosen to be in the fields. The wives were left with uncertain futures and with no way of knowing what their husbands were doing while caring for the children left behind.
One of the differences found in the sources was how much women played a role in them. While they were the central focus in Cannery Women, Cannery Lives, Harvest of Loneliness focused primarily on male workers, and Cesar Chavez focused more on the whole family. Another difference is how each of the three sources was displayed.
Results
The three sources were from a book, a documentary, and a film; each different in how they present the topic and how they explore it. The film was more enjoyable to watch because it was intended for the general audience. It needed no prior background information or critical thinking to understand what Chavez was doing was for the good of the workers..
