History Fuerza Unida was formed in 1990 when one of the Levi’s Strauss factories on the South Side of San Antonio closed, leaving over 1,150 workers without jobs and with unjust severance pay. The majority of the women did not have a high level of education or other job prospects beyond their work at Levi’s. As a result of the plant closure, the women organized themselves to demand fair compensation from Levi’s, as well as better working conditions for workers in other factories. Through organizing efforts, Fuerza Unida has become involved in many other social struggles, working on issues of women’s empowerment for self-sufficiency, women’s and labor rights, immigration, environmental issues and health education.
