The women in my life will forgive me, I hope, but in this
critical election year I have decided to send my Valentine’s Day
card to the late Ronald Reagan. We miss him now more than ever.
Instead of my own words, I thought his own would hit
closer to home. Forty years ago, in 1972, it became a fad to
boycott lettuce from California in support of an effort by Cesar
Chavez to unionize migrant workers. The Democrat convention which
nominated George McGovern as its candidate for President endorsed
the effort.
When the State of Pennsylvania joined the boycott, Reagan
sent a letter to Governor Milton Shapp making the case that Chavez
was not really helping workers who were making far above the
national average, and that he would not agree to allowing the
laborers to vote their own preference.
Shapp wrote Reagan:
As an individual, I am greatly disturbed by the plight of
the poor people in this nation, and the oppressive forces that keep
them down
As a governor, I am trying to do something to help solve
the social and economic ills that beset my state and the nation so
the American dream can be fulfilled not just by a comparative
handful of wealthy people, but by all our citizens.
Lettuce today has replaced grapes as a symbol, just as
grapes at one time had quietly replaced the “union label” as a
symbol for obtaining fair treatment for labor.
Cesar Chavez is attempting to accomplish for his people
what Eugene Debs did for the railroad workers, what John L. Lewis
did for the miners, what Philip Murray did for the steelworkers,
what Dubinsky did for the needle trade workers, what Samuel Gompers
did for the cigar workers, what Walter Reuther did for the auto
workers, and yes, what James Hoffa did for the truck drivers. All
of these great labor leaders gave the working men and women of
America a chance to work under safe conditions, at fair wages, and
to be treated with dignity.
Throughout its turbulent history, the labor movement in
America has always been opposed by those who have considered
material values more important than human values.
At one time in your career you were part of the movement
to help those at the bottom reach out for daylight. But since you
have achieved personal success, you seemed to have changed. That
was your privilege.
But it is still my privilege to do my job as I see it…
I’ll mind my business in Pennsylvania. Good luck to you in
California.
Note that the canards, the ad hominem slights and the
self-righteous preening, have not changed much in the intervening
four decades.
Reagan replied:
I was touched by your eloquent and moving letter; so much
so that I would like to offer a constructive suggestion.
First, however, so that you’ll have no question as to my
sincere interest, may I correct a misapprehension on your part? You
indicated a belief that while I had served the cause of organized
labor for a time, my view changed to the point of losing my
capacity for compassion as I became “better off.”
The Screen Actors Guild (an AFL-CIO union) has a proud
tradition of service to its members by working actors who for the
most part have a certain individual bargaining power and don’t
really need union representation. Among those who have served as
president were Eddie Cantor, Jimmy Cagney, Robert Montgomery,
George Murphy, Walter Pidgeon, and Charlton Heston, to name a
few.
My own six terms as president were during a time when I
had achieved stardom and was probably at the height of my career
and my earning power.
As I pointed out in my last letter, 85 percent of
California lettuce is presently harvested by unionized labor
(International Teamsters) and the salary scale is somewhat higher
here than in other states. I’m sure you would like to see all the
states reach parity with California.
My suggestion therefore is that you persuade the
agricultural industry of your state to invite Cesar Chavez to come
and organize the farm workers of Pennsylvania. This is a sacrifice
California is prepared to make in the interest of human compassion
and I assure you, thousands of our own farm workers — particularly
those citizens of Mexican heritage — will courageously, and I
might even say happily, carry on without him.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mister President! We hope we will
merit to see the likes of you again.
(The above letters are
culled from
Sincerely, Ronald Reagan,
a collection of Reagan’s letters compiled by his
secretary, Helene von Damm, and published in
1976.)
