Chavez, Cesar Estrada

US labour organizer who in 1962 founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), now known as the United Farm Workers (UFW), and, with the support of the AFL-CIO (Federation of North American Trade Unions) and other major unions, embarked on a successful campaign to unionize California grape workers. Chavez strove to call the public's attention to the struggles of farm workers for better pay and safer working conditions, leading to strikes and boycotts of citrus fruits, lettuce, and grapes in the early 1970s, but disagreement and exploitation of migrant farm labourers continued despite his successes.

Born near Yuma, Arizona, Chavez was raised in migrant worker camps. In 1952, he became part of the Community Service Organization (CSO), a self-help group, and began urging Mexican-Americans to register and vote. Chavez became general director of the CSO in 1958, but left in 1962 to form the NFWA. In 1965, Chavez and the NFWA led a strike of California grape-pickers to demand higher wages, and also encouraged all Americans to boycott table grapes as a show of support. The strike lasted five years and attracted national attention. In 1968, Chavez began a fast to draw attention to the migrant workers' cause. In 1973, the UFW organized a strike for higher wages from lettuce growers. During the 1980s, Chavez led a boycott to protest about the use of toxic pesticides on grapes, fasting again to attract public attention to his cause. These strikes and boycotts generally ended with the signing of bargaining agreements.