Community Support

Strikers were members of the community, many with large family networks and multiple generations working in the canneries.  In a small town where agriculture, canning, and frozen food were the main industries, the impact of the strike was felt beyond the picket line in local retail businesses, schools, churches, and service agencies such as the United Way and Second Harvest Food Bank. It was especially felt by the children of strikers, who experienced the daily hardships and tensions of the 18 month strike.  Broad community support was also crucial to the success of the strike. Community members of all ages joined marches and picket lines, organized food drives, and championed the strikers' cause in schools, at city council meetings, and in the local press.

Corwin, Miles.  "Canning Workers' Bitter Strike Devastates Lives, Economy of Watsonville." Los Angeles Times, 14 Sept. 1986.