Cannery Women, Cannery Lives: Mexican Women, Unionization, and the California Food Processing Industry, 1930-1950

by Vicki L. Ruiz

Women have been the mainstay of the grueling, seasonal canning industry for over a century. This book is their collective biography--a history of their family and work lives, and of their union. Out of the labor militancy of the 1930s emerged the United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA). Quickly it became the seventh largest CIO affiliate and a rare success story of women in unions.

Thousands of Mexican and Mexican-American women working in canneries in southern California established effective, democratic trade union locals run by local members. These rank-and-file activists skillfully managed union affairs, including negotiating such benefits as maternity leave, company-provided day care, and paid vacations--in some cases better benefits than they enjoy today. But by 1951, UCAPAWA lay in ruins--a victim of red baiting in the McCarthy era and of brutal takeover tactics by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Genres: History, Labor, Nonfiction, Food, Feminism, Grad School, Read For School

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Vicki L. Ruiz is Distinguished Professor of History and Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America.

Reviews

[Rissa (rissasreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 - This was a great read as it specifically talked about Mexican workers in the canning industry between a certain period of time and therefore painted a very specific picture. Through this small investigation into what these workers experienced you can notice a wider theme in the working world and in society as a whole. I didn't take too much new away from this novel unfortunately but I did find it interesting to note that for some union dues and initiation fees can be an ongoing barrier to accessing union support. It's even more important to note because those people are the ones who need unions the most but they cannot even gain access because the fees can keep them in poverty and/or affect their ability to pay bills, or feed themselves.

[Zoë Westlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The preachers have passed by on the other side of the road when they have chanced to meet suffering humanity; yet the labor leader comes along and puts his arms around the human with no regard to race…. Oh, yes, the labor leader, especially those of the FTA-CIO are charged with being Communist! Maybe some are; but I ask which has shown the greater love for his fellow man?”

A very interesting and informative read that has plenty of research to back up the claims made within the text. I think it’s so important to have books like this to immortalize and cover moments and groups in history that would otherwise fade into obscurity through being little-known. My only complaints are that there are significant points where the text is repeating itself verbatim in order to get its point across through multiple chapters, and the various groups with their own acronyms became hard to remember/recognize as the book went on. Despite some monotonous drilling of information and confusing organizations, still a very important read!

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book I’ve read on the topic of the history of labor organizing in the US (or anywhere). Ruiz does a fine job at explaining the significant role of Mexican women cannery workers and their participation in the UCAPAWA/FTA. What made it hard to follow for me were the many different actors in this history as well as the numerous organizations and unions, each with their own specific abbreviations. Overall a fine book on a pretty specialized topic of little-known history.

[David Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Book

Wow, this book is amazing and I’m so sorry it had to end. It shows how horrible the Mexican-Americans, Chicanas and Mexicans were treated. But, they rise up and fought back. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Simply amazing.

[Robyn White · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nomad · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! As the daughter of a labor/union organizer, this book is definately about a subject I feel passionately about. It could have been a very dry reading experience, but it wasn't. Instead I really felt like I was in on this epic stuggle for a living wage and safe and fair working conditions.

This book is very important in the dual fields of Latino studies and labor studies. I would even venture to say that for people who have bigoted preconcieved notions towards Latinos and unions, reading this book could go a long way to dispelling them. In our work-a-day world it is very easy to forget the terrible and many times sexist and racist labor practices that our grandparents fought so hard against to give us a fairer and safer working world. This book reminds us of how it was and how easily it can go back to being the same way.

My mother and I may not get along, but this book made me proud of the work she has done to unionize those who might otherwise have no voice and less power.

[Mikel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is invaluable to learn about the woman who fought for equal rights and pay. It is inspiring to read about women who work for better conditions and support one another.

However, the author states in the introduction that she wasn't going to "focus" on these women's participation in the Communist party stating "It isn't in the scope of this book". So she skims over what they did to promote the CP (communist party) during their time organizing and running the union. It is only fair to skip judging those who were upset with these activities if you are not going to add the activites that caused the upset feelings in the book.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

"UCAPAWA/FTA did not incorporate women as isolated individuals, but encompassed entire kin and friend networks, particularly within food processing plants. The union was not an artificial structure imposed on existing employee groups, but represented the collective identity of cannery operatives" (121). In telling the history and stories of women involved in the cannery industry in the mid-twentieth century, Ruiz does important and much needed work.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic in women's labor history.