TITLE: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Starr County Melon Strike.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Starr County Melon Strike.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, In 1966 and 1967, Latino farmworkers in the lower Rio Grande Valley banded together to fight for higher wages and better working conditions in what came to be known as the Starr County Melon Strike; and WHEREAS, In the mid-1960s, workers on Texas farms were making around 40 cents an hour, and they often labored through long days in the hot sun, in fields with no access to toilets or fresh water; the workers sought the help of Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association, which later became known as the United Farm Workers, and in May 1966, organizer Eugene Nelson of the NFWA arrived in Rio Grande City; and WHEREAS, With the guidance of Mr. Nelson, the farm laborers met in a movie theater and established the Independent Workers' Association, and on June 1, 1966, 400 people went on strike against six melon farms in Starr County, demanding a wage of $1.25 an hour and recognition as a labor bargaining entity; many of the strikers were arrested and some were beaten; the courts later held that a number of the laws used to justify the arrests were unconstitutional; and WHEREAS, Seeking to increase public awareness of their struggle, the workers began a 400-mile, two-month march to the State Capitol on July 4, 1966; along the way, the marchers met with Governor John Connally in New Braunfels, and on Labor Day, they rallied with 10,000 supporters on the grounds of the statehouse; as a result of "La Marcha," such groups as the Texas Council of Churches, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Migratory Labor began to focus on the plight of workers in the Rio Grande Valley; and WHEREAS, The strike came to an end in 1967, but it sowed the seeds of a Latino rights movement in South Texas and eventually helped bring about increased wages and the passage of state and federal laws that required farm owners to provide sanitation and clean drinking water for laborers; and WHEREAS, Half a century ago, proud Latino farmworkers and their allies joined together to fight for economic justice and their fundamental human rights, forging a heroic and influential chapter in the history of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Starr County Melon Strike. Guillen Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2709 was adopted by the House on May 29, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House