Texas Farm Workers Union

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The Texas Farm Workers Union (TFWU) was established in 1975 by Antonio Orendain, who had previously worked with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW), organizing laborers for the national grape and lettuce boycotts. Unlike Chavez's efforts in California, TFWU was unsuccessful in persuading the state of Texas to establish a Texas Agricultural Board. In February 1977, TFWU members marched from San Juan, Texas to the state capital building in Austin, Texas, arriving on April 2, 1977 after covering over 400 miles. Later that year, Orendain led 40 workers on a 1600-mile march from Austin to Washington, DC, which took nearly four months. Orendain and the Texas Farm Workers Union never gained much support from the United Farm Workers, and with little funding, the union was defunct by the mid-1980s.