Del Hierro

Interviewer

Anonymous

Project

Farah Strike

Summary of Interview

Nearly all of Farah's employees were exhausted and tired of work. That was when Del Hierro started working there. She didn’t understand the problem in Farah of Paisano that was causing all workers to be reluctant to go to work every day. A few days went by and she received her first check and when the manager told her she would be paid more, she realized she had barely been paid, and realized that the contract she signed was also a complete lie and not respected by her manager.

At first, she thought the hiring process would be so easy that Farah would hire anyone willing to work. Soon after, Del Hierro found that his contract had not been honored and he was being treated badly by the company and its managers. Farah's manager had no retail experience and was unable to provide leadership It was the worst side of the company. Del Hierro claimed their boss was disrespectful and disinterested in having them cut or burn themselves with the machine. Accidents were common because workers were not trained before using the equipment. Del Hierro did not know how to operate the machine and received no training before using it, resulting in several accidents on the job.

After three long years with Farah and without union representation, Farah's workers decided to launch a strike that lasted two years. Del Hierro first learned about the strike because some of his colleagues had talked about joining. After hearing what they told her about the strike, Del Hierro decided to join in to fight for the right to be represented in the union. Because it paid wages, pressured employees to work faster and faster, consistently ignored health and safety conditions, and quickly fired anyone who complained. When the strike began, Del Hierro said about 85% of the strikers were Chicana women. Soon after, other workers in America quickly moved to support the Farah workers. The strike was declared an unfair labor strike. A month later, a nationwide boycott of Farah products was launched. In El Paso, strikers, the Farah factory, and local shops with Farrar products went on strike. After a two-year strike, Farrar is rehiring laid-off employees, including Dell Hiero. The company also negotiates contracts to improve the company’s working conditions. As Del Hierro mentioned, Farah strikes always inspired workers who were oppressed by their bosses and inspired them to speak up and make things better.

Date of Interview

2-1-2023

Length of Interview

1 hour, 55 minutes

Tape Number

No. 1770

Transcript Number

No. 1770

Transcriber

Andrea Santos

Interview Number

No. 1770

Terms of Use

Unrestricted

Comments

Andrea Santos transcribed the coversheet of the interview. There is no transcription of the interview.

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