Interview with Strikers

This roundtable discussion with strikers includes three members of the Strikers' Committee:  Gloria Betancourt, Cuca Lomeli, and Chavelo Moreno.  The discussion was conducted near the end of the strike and was published in an issue of Forward: Journal of Socialist Thought that also featured along with a discussion with Hormel strikers Links to an external site..  Strikers from Hormel visited Watsonville to underscore their common concerns and show solidarity.

In this discussion strikers describe the hardships of the strike, what keeps them going, and what they have learned.  The discussion was conducted by Oscar Ríos from the League of Revolutionary Struggle and the Northern California Strike Support Committee.

Click on the PDF Roundtable Discussion with Strikers to read the interviews.

Questions

  • What are some of the things strikers learned during the strike?
  • What are some of the ways the strike has changed how they view themselves, their families, and the city of Watsonville?

Roundtable Discussion with Strikers Download Roundtable Discussion with Strikers (PDF 21 pages)

Brief biographies of strikers. For text see PDF above.

"Round-Table Discussion with Watsonville Workers.“ Forward:  Journal of Socialist Thought, vol. 7, no. 1, Jan. 1987, pp. 3-25. Frank Bardacke Watsonville Canneries Strike Records, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco State University.