The UFW in the RGV (part 1)

Last month, I mentioned the Los Angeles Times investigative series on the United Farm Workers, which claims that the union capitalizes on founder Cesar Chavez's legacy while doing little to recruit more farmworkers to the movement.

The series sparked harsh reaction from the UFW and its supporters: Complaints that the Times ignored Chavez's significant accomplishments -- and threats of lawsuits against journalists who write about the UFW in less-than-glowing terms. Meanwhile, the website Truthdig ("drilling beneath the headlines") presents the UFW's point-by-point refutation of the Times series.

While the controversy made a huge splash in California, it caused nary a ripple in the Rio Grande Valley at the time -- even though there's a UFW office in San Juan. But last week, Ignacio Almaguer, who works closely with the organization, offered his thoughts on the United Farm Workers and the group's effect on the Rio Grande Valley.

CONTINUED BELOW