MikeDunnAuthorToday in Labor History December 4, 1970: The authorities jailed Cesar Chavez for 20 days during the Salinas Salad Bowl Strike. The strike was, in many ways, a turf war between the UFW and the teamsters, who had already signed a deal with the growers. It was the largest farm workers strike in U.S. history. It cost the lettuce growers $500,000 per day. The UFW also initiated a nationwide boycott of lettuce. On November 4, someone bombed their headquarters. Chavez’s arrest, on December 4, was his first of many arrests. Ethyl Kennedy, widow of Robert Kennedy, visited him in jail. As she left, an anti-union mob attacked her. The Brown Berets collaborated with the police to prevent a full-scale riot from breaking out.
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