Strike Support Committees

Workers do not get paid during a strike and must find ways to support their day-to-day needs.  Local community and sympathetic organizations can raise funds to provide support for food, housing, childcare, legal fees, and other needs.  For the Watsonville canneries strike three regional support committees formed: 

• Watsonville Strike Support Committee
• Santa Cruz Strike Support Committee
• Northern California Strike Support Committee

Watsonville Strike Support Committee was connected to TDU and included people such as Frank Bardacke, Dolores Cruz Gomez, and Delia Mendez. The Santa Cruz Strike Support Committee had ties to the Communist Party and Central American activism and included local politicians and community members such as John Laird, Mardi Wormhoudt, and Nancy Reutlinger. The Northern California Strike Support Committee was connected to a large network of Bay Area labor and community activists under the umbrella of the League of Revolutionary Struggle, and included Shiree Teng, Manuel Díaz, and Oscar Ríos.