The United Farm Workers Union begin their lettuce strike against lettuce growers who would not negotiate contracts with farm workers for decent wages and working conditions. The Salad Bowl strike was a series of strikes, mass pickets, boycotts and secondary boycotts that led to the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history. Shipments of fresh lettuce nationwide virtually ceased, and the price of lettuce doubled almost overnight. Lettuce growers lost $500,000 a day. A state district court enjoined Cesar Chávez personally and the UFW as an organization from engaging in picketing, but both Chávez and the union refused to obey the court's orders. - 1970 graphic: Susan Due Pearcy “The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.”
Family, friends, union leadership and politicians gathered last Saturday to celebrate the life of Jim Shearer, ACE-AFSCME Local 2250’s former Executive Director and one of the founders of Local 2250. Shearer passed recently. "Jim was our institutional memory and provided guidance until his final illness,” said Local 2250 President Shirley Kirkland, who credited Shearer with encouraging and supporting her move into a union leadership role. "Even after he retired he continued to help me and this union, and I'll never forget him." Those in attendance included Maryland State Senate President Mike Miller and former Prince George’s State Senator Joanne Benson, who joined in remembering Shearer as both a family and union man. AFSCME 2250 represents an array of county employees in Prince George's County. photo: Kirkland (center) with retired MWC president Jos Williams and CSA ED Kathleen McKirchy |