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Formed by a dissident group in the Filipino Labor Union Incorporated, it was organized to make demands of the Japanese Growers Association of San Luis Obispo County. The demands were as follows:
"(1) That the employers recognize the Filipino Labor Union, Pismo Beach branch, as the collective- bargaining agency on all matters regarding wages, hours, and working conditions in the San Luis Obispo County vegetable industry.
(2) That an agreement be signed by the employers and the union which shall be in force effect for the period of 1 year.
(3) That a minimum wage of 35 cents per hour be paid field workers.
(4) That no discrimination because of union affiliation be applied in hiring workers.
(5) That a 10-hour day be in force, with time and a half for overtime, Sundays, and holidays.
(6) That wages be paid every 15 days."
The strike that followed involved 200 fruit and vegetable workers. It contained workers on ranches of Oceano, Pismo Beach, and Arroyo Grande. C. D. Mensalvas, secretary of the Filipino Labor Union, tried negotiating with Tom Nakaji, secretary of the growers association. However, the negotiations were unsuccessful. R. F. Fukunaga, secretary-manager of the Pismo-Oceano Vegetable exchange stated that "In fact, some growers cannot afford to pay that much. Some few, by operating at a loss could stand to pay 35 cents." ("Japanese Growers Willing to Meet With Labor Unions." Daily Telegram [San Luis Obispo, CA] Jan 5, 1937: 159. Print.)
In response, Mensalves published a letter in the newspaper saying that the strike could have easily been averted. In his letter, he blamed the Japanese Growers’ Association for not responding with more immediate action. He claims the Japanese Growers were “not intent for settlement and that their statement saying that they would accede to the demands of the workers was not enough. Essentially, the Japanese employers were seeking a verbal agreement, but the Filipinos wanted a written contract. The Filipino Labor Union held strong in its position.
The tension continued to rise as Filipino laborers began threatening Japanese laborers, culminating in a fight and arrests of the Filipinos involved. The Japanese-Growers Association held out because, according to Nakaji, "The current trouble can have no harmful effect on marketing crops as the is sufficient Mexican labor to take care of the situation until the peak of the season, which will not be reached until the latter part of March or the first of April." (Daily Telegram [San Luis Obispo, CA] Jan. 18, 1937: 170. Print.) Meanwhile, C. D. Mensalvas was seeking help from the U. S. government. This resulted in Towne Nylander, regional director of the National Relations Board in Los Angeles, to be appointed mediator between the Japanese growers and Filipino union. On January 25th, an agreement was reached. The growers agreed to the 35 cent wage increase. It was a success for the Filipino Labor Union.
Connotations: Most notable in this clash between Japanese Growers and Filipino workers is the clash of ethnic groups. How was it that the Japanese could rise to the status of a grower, while most of the laborers were Filipino? The divide could be due to educational differences. Many Japanese Americans had more access to education in the U.S. than Filipinos did, especially since Filipinos came during the Great Depression, and Japanese immigrants tended to have more money upon arrival. Japanese growers, who tended to have less acreage to farm than some of the corporate growers, also would have had a harder time affording laborers (see, for example, Grace Shibata's essay, "Okaasan," which mentions the struggles of the family farm during the depression).
View related articles from the Daily Telegram:
Filipino-Japanese Labor Conflict Is Countywide Threat January 2, 1937
Japanese Growers Willing To Meet With Labor Unions January 5, 1937
Filipinos Stage Strike As Climax To Argument January 9, 1937
County Growers Grant Filipino Wage Demands January 12, 1937
Filipinos Demand Written Agreement Before Calling Off January 13, 1937
Officers Quell Series Of Filipino Uprisings January 15, 1937
Strikers Set Up "Peaceful Picket" Rule January 16, 1937
Filipino Arrests Loom After Strike Outbreak January 18, 1937
Anti Picket Ordinance Petitioned January 18, 1937
Emergency Picket Law Passed By Supervisors January 19, 1937
Officers Called to Quell New Filipino Strike Disturbance January 22, 1937
Peace Reigns In County Field Workers' Strike January 25, 1937
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