[2] Briseno began working at that Kitayama Corporation floral plant in Brighton, Colorado when her children were old enough to attend school.
She witnessed miserable conditions for the mostly Mexican-American women, including long hours with no overtime pay, unsanitary eating areas, and an unsafe workplace that led to accidents and health problems.
[5] The nurseries had uncovered floors where the high humidity turned dirt to mud, and many workers slipped and fell or caught colds, flu, or pneumonia.
Other local organizations like Corky Gonzales's Crusade for Justice and the Chicano students at the University of Colorado Boulder also gave their support.
[4] On February 15, 1969, after eight months of deteriorating conditions on the picket line, Briseño, Padilla, Sandoval, del Real, and Sailes chained themselves to the gate of the Kitayama plant.
Playwright Anthony J. Garcia wrote and directed a play for Su Teatro based on the Kitayama Carnation Strike, War of the Flowers.