Cesar Chavez : Labor Leader

Cesar Chavez helped improve the lives of thousands of farmworkers. He knew firsthand the hardships of working in the fields. As a young person, he and his family spent several years traveling in California as migrant farmworkers, enduring difficult working conditions and receiving low wages. In 1962, Chavez started organizing a farmworker's union. He sought to use nonviolent means, such as marches, boycotts, and hunger strikes, to bring about change. Through his work with the union, which today is known as the United Farm Workers, Chavez was able to negotiate contracts for workers for better wages and working conditions. He also lobbied to increase farmworkers' rights and stop the use of dangerous pesticides. Book jacket.