In spite of recent advances in mechanization, farmworkers continue to be a vital and necessary element in the harvesting of American crops. However, farmworkers, whether migrant or non-migrant, continue to have the lowest annual income of all occupational groups. The overriding concern is one of powerlessness. Farmworkers have been excluded at the federal and state levels from protective legislation covering minimum wage standards, unemployment insurance, child labor protection, and the benefits of the National Labor Relations Act which guarantees labor the right to organize and bargain for wages. In the last 20 years, the mobilization of Texas farmworkers has developed from an abortive strike attempt to an operational network of legislative and political clout. The political balance is changing in Texas from a predominantly rural conservative base to a growing urban and liberal coalition. The actions and reactions of mobilized and mobilizing groups move across the Texas political arena changing the nature of its character. Strikes, marches, and organizational efforts have served to shake off the apathy and sense of powerlessness which has maintained farmworkers in a state of poverty and despair. The obstacles continue to be great, yet efforts are being made to overcome them in an effective manner. (Author)