H.R. No. 2709
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, In 1966 and 1967, Latino farmworkers in the lower
Rio Grande Valley banded together to fight for higher wages and
better working conditions in what came to be known as the Starr
County Melon Strike; and
WHEREAS, In the mid-1960s, workers on Texas farms were making
around 40 cents an hour, and they often labored through long days in
the hot sun, in fields with no access to toilets or fresh water; the
workers sought the help of Cesar Chavez and the National Farm
Workers Association, which later became known as the United Farm
Workers, and in May 1966, organizer Eugene Nelson of the NFWA
arrived in Rio Grande City; and
WHEREAS, With the guidance of Mr. Nelson, the farm laborers
met in a movie theater and established the Independent Workers'
Association, and on June 1, 1966, 400 people went on strike against
six melon farms in Starr County, demanding a wage of $1.25 an hour
and recognition as a labor bargaining entity; many of the strikers
were arrested and some were beaten; the courts later held that a
number of the laws used to justify the arrests were
unconstitutional; and
WHEREAS, Seeking to increase public awareness of their
struggle, the workers began a 400-mile, two-month march to the
State Capitol on July 4, 1966; along the way, the marchers met with
Governor John Connally in New Braunfels, and on Labor Day, they
rallied with 10,000 supporters on the grounds of the statehouse; as
a result of "La Marcha," such groups as the Texas Council of
Churches, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the U.S. Senate
Subcommittee on Migratory Labor began to focus on the plight of
workers in the Rio Grande Valley; and
WHEREAS, The strike came to an end in 1967, but it sowed the
seeds of a Latino rights movement in South Texas and eventually
helped bring about increased wages and the passage of state and
federal laws that required farm owners to provide sanitation and
clean drinking water for laborers; and
WHEREAS, Half a century ago, proud Latino farmworkers and
their allies joined together to fight for economic justice and
their fundamental human rights, forging a heroic and influential
chapter in the history of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Starr
County Melon Strike.
Guillen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2709 was adopted by the House on May
29, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House