 In 1959, he became the CSO's national director, a position based in Los Angeles.In 1962, he left the CSO to co-found the NFWA, based in Delano, California, through which he launched an insurance scheme, credit union, and the "El Malcriado" newspaper for farmworkers.Later that decade he began organizing strikes among farmworkers, most notably the successful Delano grape strike of 1965–1970.