Black and white photograph of Emiliano Zapata with a white outer ring with black text

Emiliano Zapata Salazar featured prominently in the Mexican Revolution.  He led the peasant revolution and was the inspiration for Zapatismo, an agrarian movement.  Born in 1879, he lived in Morelos, Mexico.  He was an early activist in movements against the dictator Porfirio Diaz, and in 1910, Zapata became a leader of the peasant uprising in Morelos and formed the Liberation Army of the South.  The peasant revolutionaries were fighting against pressure from landowners who monopolized water and land resources with the support of Diaz.  The peasant army contributed to the fall of Diaz, and Zapata then concentrated on rebuilding Morelos and enacting land reforms.  In 1919, he was killed in an ambush while defending Morelos against the Constitutionalist Army.  The button’s text translates to "Live the Cause".

Black text above a black stylized eagle on a bright green background

In August 1970, the United Farm Workers called for a nation-wide boycott of all lettuce growers in the Salinas Valley.  The boycott was to protest the poor wages and living conditions of the lettuce pickers, many of whom were unskilled migrant workers.  Approximately 10,000 farm workers went on strike, and over the next three weeks, lettuce production dropped approximately 70%.  The price of lettuce almost doubled, and shipments of fresh lettuce nearly ceased.  Nixon publicly opposed the boycott and criticized its leaders.  Persistence on the part of the United Farm Workers led to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act in 1975, but the boycott was not formally ended until 1978.

Illustrations of a strawberry and an eagle on a white background within a red border with black text on the top and bottom edges

In 1996, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) took on the strawberry industry via pickets and protest marches.  The UFW wanted to draw attention to the berry pickers’ poor working conditions, low wages, and lack of health insurance.  “Justicia/Dignidad” (Justice/ Dignity) were two of the ideals driving the UFW to organize the strawberry workers.  In March 2001, the UFW and Coastal Berry Co. (the United States’ largest employer of strawberry workers) signed a contract.  The agreement made the company’s employees the best paid workers in California at the time.

Red button with black text and a black eagle symbol in the center. 

The Delano Grape Strike was a labor strike in California that began in September of 1965, and lasted for more than five years. The striking workers, led by Cesar Chavez and others, formed the United Farm Workers and demanded wages equivalent to the federal minimum wage. Through grassroots efforts, including consumer boycotts of non-union grapes, the United Farm Workers succeeded in reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the grape growers in July 1970.

Black button with green text and the illustration of a bunch of grapes with a face on it. 

The Delano Grape Strike was a labor strike in California that began in September of 1965, and lasted for more than five years. The striking workers, led by Cesar Chavez and others, formed the United Farm Workers and demanded wages equivalent to the federal minimum wage. Through grassroots efforts, including consumer boycotts of non-union grapes, the United Farm Workers succeeded in reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the grape growers in July 1970. 

Black text on white background with red, black and white UFW flag. 

The Delano Grape Strike was a labor strike in California that began in September of 1965, and lasted for more than five years. Several organizations joined forces to create the United Farm Workers and demand wages equivalent to the federal minimum wage. One of the organizations was the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, which was formed in 1959 by the AFL-CIO, the umbrella federation for American unions. The black Aztec eagle was designed in 1962 by the brother and cousin of labor rights leader Cesar Chavez. It is still used as a symbol by the United Farm Workers. UFW lore says that Chavez picked black to represent the darkness of the farmworker’s plight and the white to mean hope, all set against a red that signified the sacrifice expected from union workers.

White text on black background with a red center and a black eagle symbol. 

The Delano Grape Strike was a labor strike in California that began in September of 1965, and lasted for more than five years. The striking workers, led by Cesar Chavez and others, formed the United Farm Workers and demanded wages equivalent to the federal minimum wage. Through grassroots efforts, including consumer boycotts of non-union grapes, the United Farm Workers succeeded in reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the grape growers in July 1970. 

Black text on red background with a white center and black eagle symbol. 

The Delano Grape Strike was a labor strike in California that began in September of 1965, and lasted for more than five years. The striking workers, led by Cesar Chavez and others, formed the United Farm Workers and demanded wages equivalent to the federal minimum wage. Through grassroots efforts, including consumer boycotts of non-union grapes, the United Farm Workers succeeded in reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the grape growers in July 1970. 

Illustration of a woman raising her fist in the air yelling, "Viva La Huelga" done in black, with black text on the top and bottom edges, all on a yellow background

Workers at the Farah Manufacturing Company in El Paso, Texas went on strike in May 1972 for the right to union representation.  Prior to the strike, high production quotas, low wages, and few benefits created an unhappy workforce.  Workers had voted to affiliate with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America in 1969, but after a group of workers at another Farah plant attended a union-sponsored march, they were terminated.  This prompted the El Paso workers to walk out on May 9, 1972. The Spanish phrase on the button translates to Long Live the Strike.   A national boycott of Farah products began a few weeks later.  The National Labor Relations board ordered Farah to offer strikers their jobs back and permit union representation in January 1974.

Black and white illustration of two people with a white outer edge with green and red text

Workers at the Farah Manufacturing Company in El Paso, Texas went on strike in May 1972 for the right to union representation.  Prior to the strike, high production quotas, low wages, and few benefits created an unhappy workforce.  Workers had voted to affiliate with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America in 1969, but after a group of workers at another Farah plant attended a union-sponsored march, they were terminated.  This prompted the El Paso workers to walk out on May 9, 1972. The Spanish phrase on the button translates to Long Live the Strike.   A national boycott of Farah products began a few weeks later.  The National Labor Relations board ordered Farah to offer strikers their jobs back and permit union representation in January 1974.