Remembering the Struggle: the Watsonville Cannery Strikes of 1985-1987 is a public remembrance process taking place from July to September 2008. [ more... ]
Cannery workers, mainly women, were employed at companies across the Pajaro Valley, where the last frozen food plant recently shut its doors. This is a forgotten way of life for many in Watsonville.
The long months of the strike proved difficult for many individuals and families. Here you can see the picket lines, the tense moments with police, and the profound effect of the strike on Watsonville.
Celebrating broke out after the long strike was finally settled with a vote by striking workers to approve a new contract
These images have been generously provided by the Pajaro Valley Historical Association.
These documents are from the collection at San Francisco State University's Labor Archive & Research Center. They include promotional materials, leaflets, and flyers that strikers and strike-related organizations used during the Watsonville Cannery Strikes.
These are full article versions of newspaper reports from during strike. The represented newspaper vary, from local papers like the Register-Pajaronian and Santa Cruz Sentinel to the San Francisco Chronicle, the UCSC student newspaper, and labor-oriented newspapers like Unity.