Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC)

The Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) was a labor union founded in 1960 to advocate for the rights of Mexican-American farmworkers in the United States. It aimed to improve wages, working conditions, and social justice through collective action. AWOC played a significant role in the farm labor movement, notably contributing to the historic Delano grape strike of the 1960s, which eventually led to the formation of the United Farm Workers (UFW). The organization sought to empower farmworkers to gain fair treatment and better living standards in an industry often marked by exploitative practices.