t in meetings and strikes.In an attempt to expand their support from persons residing in other states, the union then made its way to south Texas and relied on many techniques to counter the growers importation of strike breakers. For example, in 1966, UFW organizers in Texas worked with other Mexican unions in order to gain support from the border crossers for their strike against the Giumarra Corporation, the grape growers. The Mexican union, the Confederacion de Trabajores Mexicanos (CTM), organized a picket on the Mexican side of the border opposite Rio Grand City to discourage the Mexican green-card holders from crossing merely to work as scabs and several UFW supporters joined them.In 1968, the UFW undertook the same kind of activities with other unions in California. A friend of Chavez arranged for leaflets to be passed out at the border informing workers of the existence of the strike. He also got permission to place ads and stories in the local newspapers and to run public service announcements on Mexicali radio and television stations. It was not long until Chavez gained the moral support of Mexican officials and labor leaders in Mexico. Cesar Chavez was so determined to achieve for his people the proper civil rights they deserved, that he was willing to sacrifice his own life so that the union could continue and that violence was not used. In 1968, Cesar went on a water-only 25 day fast. He repeated the fast in 1972 for 24 days and again in 1988 for 36 days. His reasons for fasting were to keep the self-respect of the people and to build a great union through a commitment to the struggle for justice through non-violence. Many events precipitated the fast, especially the terrible suffering of the farm workers and their children, the crushing of farm workers rights, the dangers of pesticides and the denial of fair and free elections.From all the pressure bestowed on the growers from an international boycott against Ca...
