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The **United Farm Workers** (UFW) helped organized farm workers in the 1960's and 1970's through negotiations and consumer boycotts. The beginning of UFW can be traced back to a small organization of the 1960's which was called the national farm workers association (FWA), which was led by Cesar Chavez. The FWA always stressed total work involvement from the start. The union focused on home visits and the development of leadership as the emotional mass meetings and strikes were shunned. Most of the membership was made up of Mexican Americans, but also included Filipinos, African Americans, and Anglos.

The FWA and the AWOC joined into one in August of 1966, to form the modern UFW. The union represented the employees of major California wineries by 1967. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, the UFW noticed some major gains. There was a boycott in California called the "Great Grape Boycott". It was against grape growers. This boycott resulted in a three-year contract.After the boycott, The UFW went for the lettuce and strawberry fields and Florida's citrus industry. Minute Maid later agreed to a three-year contract in February of 1972. This agreement called for the following: higher wages, union hiring halls, the replacement of contractors, toilet facilities in the fields, rest periods, ice water, health benefits, and a pension fund.

Disaster came when the International Brotherhood of Teamsters made their way into the lettuce fields in August of 1973. The Teamsters managed to sign up the grape growers while the UFW fought the teamsters.Chavez referred to the grape growers pact as a "sweetheart deal" while George Meany called it "disgraceful untion busting.

The UFW received aid from the United Automobile Workers as well as $1.6 million in strike funds from the AFL-CIO. Violence bubbled to the surface as UFW pickets were brutalized. As Teamster "guards" hit UFW freight handlers, two people were killed, 300 injured. Out of the 300 injured, 60 were by gunshot wounds. After some 3,000 were incarcerated, the UFW was forced to abandon picketing.

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