Put Politicians 'On Spot,' Grape-Strike Leader Says

The leader of the Delano County grape strike told students yesterday to invite Senators and Congressmen to Harvard and "put them on the spot," by asking them embarassing questions about the working conditions of grape pickers and farm workers.

Cesar Chavez, president of the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, spoke in the afternoon at PBH and at night at Lowell Lecture Hall.

Chavez claimed that employers have an immense illegal source of scab labor in 18,000 Mexicans who cross the border every day as strikebreakers.

Since the strike began 27 months ago, students have worked steadily to eliminate "scab" grapes from stores across the country. They have been especially successful in Boston, which is 75 per cent "clean," said Chavez.

Efforts Hampered

Efforts to organize boycotts are hampered, however, by the law which forbids sympathy strikes by other unions, and by the fact that farm workers are not covered by the National Labor Relations Act, he said.

The strikers have had to turn to volunteers for money and manpower. Most of these have been students. Harvard students have been active in the Boston area.

The student volunteers have given a distinctive flavor to the movement to unionize the grape-pickers, he said, by imparting political consciousness to the workers. "We want there to be light in the union," said Chavez.

Berkeley Was First

Students at the University of California at Berkeley were the first to join the grape-picker's struggle. Early in the strike, they contributed their lunch money to buy food for the strikers, who live on five dollars a week.

It is not known whether Harvard dining halls serve "clean" grapes or "scab" grapes.

Said Chaves, shaking his head as he left Lowell Lecture Hall, "If we can't keep grapes out of Harvard. . ."