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Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) Records

 Collection
Identifier: LR001506

Scope and Content

FLOC records document its day-to-day organizational activities; correspondence; projects and community efforts; research; related organizations and unions; and resources for farm workers and Latinos. Also covered are individual boycotts and campaigns with the majority of material detailing the Campbell boycott.

Important Subjects: Agriculture Boycotts Community Organization Farm Workers Hispanics Immigration Labor Unions Migrant Workers Minority Rights Important Names: Bermudez, David Beutler, Robert Campbell Soup Cantor, John Cuevas, Fernado Hintz, Joy Libby McFerren, Martha Nuestra Lucha Kilroy, Jack Reza, Ernesto Rios, Sarita Romero, Berna Sanchez, Maria Santiago, Ray Valasquez, Baldemar Vlasic Pickle

Important Acronyms: CHD - Campaign for Human Development FLEC - Farm Labor Education Center FLROC - Farm Labor Research Organizing Committee FLRP - Farm Labor Research Project NLG - National Lawyers Guild PTF - Pesticide Task Force RUIID - Rural Urban Institute For Intercultural Documentation and Development

Series Description: Series 1: Administration and Operations (Boxes 1-18, 26 – 27)) Includes: Correspondence, Media and Publications, Legal, Financial, Committees and Projects, Funding, Contracts and Negotiations, Religious affiliations and support

Series II: Subject Files (Boxes 18-23, 26) Includes: Research; Related Unions (includes letters of support for Campbell Boycott), Publications and Organizations; and Resources

Series III: Boycotts and Campaigns (Boxes 23-25)

Series IV: Conferences and Conventions (Boxes 25-26)

Dates

  • 1967 - 2005
  • Majority of material found within 1979 - 1989

Creator

Language of Materials

Material mainly in English; some Spanish content.

Access

Collection is open for research.

Use

Refer to the Walter P. Reuther Library Rules for Use of Archival Materials. Restrictions: Researchers may encounter records of a sensitive nature – personnel files, case records and those involving investigations, legal and other private matters. Privacy laws and restrictions imposed by the Library prohibit the use of names and other personal information which might identify an individual, except with written permission from the Director and/or the donor.

History

Founded in Toledo, OH in 1967 by Baldemar Valasquez, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) represents migrant workers in the agricultural industry, and seeks to promote and protect the right of farm workers to actively participate in decisions that affect their conditions. FLOC centered their efforts not on growers, who the organization realized were relatively powerless, but on the large food processing companies who ran the agricultural business and ultimately controlled farm workers rights and benefits. FLOC used boycotts, marches, publication campaigns, and rallied community and church support to fight for migrant worker rights. The Campbell Soup boycott, which began in 1978 and ended successfully in 1986, was FLOC’s most important campaign, but they also led successful efforts against Vlasic, Heinz, Aunt Jane, and Mt. Olive Pickle. FLOC expanded from its base in Ohio to the Midwest in the 1980s and eventually to the South in the late 1990s. FLOC also provided a support network for migrant workers, Latinos and immigrants through community and educational programs, legal clinics and Latino organizations.

Extent

27.25 Linear Feet (27 SB, 1 folder, 1 audio cassette)

Abstract

Founded in Toledo, OH in 1967 by Baldemar Valasquez, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) represents migrant workers in the agricultural industry, and seeks to promote and protect the right of farm workers to actively participate in decisions that affect their conditions. FLOC centered their efforts not on growers, who the organization realized were relatively powerless, but on the large food processing companies who ran the agricultural business and ultimately controlled farm workers rights and benefits. FLOC used boycotts, marches, publication campaigns, and rallied community and church support to fight for migrant worker rights. The Campbell Soup boycott, which began in1978 and ended successfully in 1986, was FLOC’s most important campaign, but they also led successful efforts against Vlasic, Heinz, Aunt Jane, and Mt. Olive Pickle. FLOC expanded from its base in Ohio to the Midwest in the 1980s and eventually to the South in the late 1990s. FLOC also provided a support network for migrant workers, Latinos and immigrants through community and educational programs, legal clinics and Latino organizations.

FLOC records document its day-to-day organizational activities; correspondence;projects and community efforts; research; related organizations and unions; and resources for farm workers and Latinos. Also covered are individual boycotts and campaigns with the majority of material detailing the Campbell boycott.

Arrangement

Arranged in 4 series – Series 1 (Boxes 1-18, 26-27), Series 2 (Boxes 18-23, 26), Series 3 (Boxes 23-25), and Series 4 (Boxes 25-26). Folders in each series are simply listed by their location within each box. They are not arranged, so any given subject may be dispersed throughout several boxes within each series.

Acquisition

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee Records were first deposited at the Reuther Library in 1992; an additional deposit was made in 2006.

Transfers

Audiocassette tape related to cucumber sharecropping cases, and three government proclamations have been transferred to the Reuther’s Audiovisual Department. Guides or inventories are available.

Processing History

Finding aid written by Kathy Makas on March 29 2010.
Title
Guide to the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) Records
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Kathy Makas.
Date
2010-03-10
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Walter P. Reuther Library Repository

Contact:
5401 Cass Avenue
Detroit MI 48202 USA