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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Born to immigrant parents, Cesar Chavez
3encountered wretched migrant camps, corrupt labor contractors,
4meager wages for backbreaking work, and bitter racism; he later
5helped change those conditions for millions of workers across
6the U.S.; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez was introduced to labor organizing in
81952 when an activist priest recruited him to be an organizer
9for the Community Service Organization; he soon took on the
10position as national director of the organization but resigned
11in 1962 to devote his time to organizing a union for farm
12workers; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Angered by his childhood that consisted of picking
14cotton and grapes and enduring poverty and prejudice, Cesar
15Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in
161962; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez's leadership and nonviolent tactics
18included the Delano, California grape strike, which began in
19September 1965; his fasts and the 340-mile march from Delano to
20Sacramento focused national attention on the problems of farm
21workers; the marchers wanted California to pass laws that would
22permit farm workers to organize into a union and allow

 

 

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1collective bargaining agreements; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The first union contracts required rest periods,
3clean drinking water, hand washing stations, and protective
4clothing to prevent pesticide exposure; the contracts were
5signed in 1966 but were followed by more years of conflict; in
61968, Cesar Chavez began a fast that lasted 25 days to protest
7the increasing advocacy of violence within the union; on July
829, 1970, 26 Delano-area growers formally signed contracts
9recognizing the United Farm Workers, bringing peace to the
10vineyard; and
 
11    WHEREAS, On August 8 1994, Cesar Chavez's family received a
12Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in
13his honor; President Clinton recognized him for facing
14formidable and often violent oppositions with dignity and
15nonviolence; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez devoted his life to making a change
17for the working class; he fought for equal pay and better
18working conditions; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we declare March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 as "Cesar Chavez
22Day in Illinois" in order to commemorate his selfless fight to

 

 

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1ensure the dignity of workers and their ability to unionize and
2collectively bargain in the United States.