100 farm workers strike
"Farm workers hired for wages may, like any other group, withdraw their labor by striking with the aim of achieving certain objectives. The years 1929 to 1935 witnessed in California “a series of spectacular strikes” stimulated by the wage cuts of the Depression and expectations aroused by policies of the new Roosevelt administration. Carey McWilliams writes: “Beyond question, the strikes of these years are without precedent in the history of labor in the United States. Never before had farm laborers organized on any such scale and never before had they conducted strikes of such magnitude and such far-reaching social significance.” 29 Migrant farm laborers expressed their unrest in spontaneous strikes, as well as organized ones."...
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High scoring campaigns using this method
Historical cases from the Nonviolent Action Database that used this method
Cubans general strike to overthrow president, 1933
For two years prior to this campaign there was a violent struggle to oust dictator Gerardo Machado: running gun battles, bombings, political assassinations. The leading violent group agreed to a ceasefire in July 1933 to allow for mediation, but smal...
Jewish peasants block construction of statue of Gaius Caligula in Galilee, 40 CE
Towards the end of the reign of Gaius Caligula, a proclamation was sent out for a statue of the Roman Emperor to be built within the Temple walls in Jerusalem. This command broke the Jewish law of idolatry and was therefore rejected and strongly oppo...
U.S. farmworkers win union on farms of Campbell's Soup, 1978-1986
The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) was founded in 1967 by Baldemar Velasquez as a labor group that would allow farm workers to stand up for their rights. The FLOC fought to improve the working conditions for farmworkers who were having their ...
Colombian coffee farmers win campaign for a living wage, 2013
In 2012, Colombian coffee prices fell 35% on the international market while the Colombian peso appreciated 10%. A combination of crop disease, bad weather, and unfavorable currency rates forced growers in Colombia to sell their coffee at a loss. Many...
Peruvians protest silver mining project, May-June 2011
The Puno Department is a high plateau region of southeastern Peru, nestled on the shores of Lake Titicaca and the Bolivian border. The people of this region are primarily indigenous Quechua and Aymara people who rely on a chiefly agricultural lifesty...
U.S. farmworkers in California campaign for economic justice (Grape Strike), 1965-70
Before the grape strike in 1965, the average annual income of a California farmworker was less than $1,400. In addition, variations in weather or market patterns could lessen this amount. Working conditions were also poor, as many workers did not hav...
Trinidadians and Tobagonians strike for higher wages and labor justice, 1919-1921
Following the end of World War I, Trinidadians faced unfair labor policies and low wages. They also dealt with inflation and racism. Unhappy Trinidadians formed the Trinidad Workingmen’s Association (TWA) in response to the problems they faced. The T...
Australian Aboriginal workers strike for fair wages and equality, 1946-1949
In 20th century Australia indigenous workers were treated completely differently from the Caucasian settlers on the continent. Until the 1920s, for example, Aboriginals employed at pastoral stations in Australia received rations of clothing and food ...
Ecuadorian indigenous workers strike for higher wages in Cayambe, 1930-1931
Rural Ecuador had functioned under the huasipungo land-tenure system since the 16th century. The tenant farmers, called huasipungueros, were mainly of indigenous descent and worked 3 to 6 days a week on hacienda estates in the highlands, owned by abs...
Mau opposition to New Zealand rule in Samoa, 1927-1933
The Samoan archipelago, located in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean, is comprised of six main islands and several smaller ones. Prior to World War I, Germany and the United States occupied most of the Samoan Islands. During WWI, New Zealand, upon a...
Low scoring campaigns using this method
Historical cases from the Nonviolent Action Database that used this method
Norwegian farmers stage a bread blockade for higher government subsidies 2012
In late April and early May of 2012, the Norwegian government and the National Farmers Union were negotiating about governmental support for agriculture. The National Farmers Union asked for 2.2 billion kroner in subsidies and other support to farmer...
Starr County, Texas Farm Workers Strike for Higher Pay - 1966
On 1 June 1966, growing disputes between farmworkers and the owners of melon farms in the Rio Grande valley in South Texas culminated in a strike. Four hundred farm workers had voted in favor of a strike against their employers at La Casita melon far...