Along with his organizer brother Walter Frederick Little and sister-in-law Emma Harper Little, Frank took part in free speech fights among workers in Fresno, California in 1910 and 1911. Little and several hundred workers were arrested for violating a city ordinance, congregating on city streets to publicly speak. Many more workers belonging to the Industrial Workers of the World union came to the city and struck in support. Eventually, Little successfully organized unskilled fruit workers in the San Joaquin Valley of California, a predecessor to Cesar Chavez's work. He also led free speech efforts in Kansas City, Missouri; Webb City, Missouri; and Peoria, Illinois.