SR0589 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0589 LRB095 20443 GRL 48145 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are pleased to honor the life and legacy of farm workers leader Cesar Estrada Chavez; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 on a farm near Yuma, Arizona that his grandfather homesteaded in the 1880s; after Cesar Chavez's father, Librado, was forced from his farm in 1937, the Chavez family became migrant workers in California, the beginning of his legendary destiny; he quit school after the 8th grade in 1942 in order to help support his family by working in the fields full time; and

WHEREAS, In 1944, Cesar Chavez joined the United States Navy, where he was slated to serve in the western Pacific theatre during World War II; just before he was to be shipped to the Pacific, however, he was arrested in a segregated movie theater in Delano, California for sitting in the "whites only" section; and

WHEREAS, In 1952, Cesar Chavez was recruited into the Community Service Organization (CSO) by community organizer Fred Ross, who discovered the young farm worker laboring in apricot orchards outside San Jose, California; together with Mr. Ross, Cesar Chavez organized 22 CSO chapters across California during the 1950s, leading to CSO becoming the most militant and effective Latino civil rights group of its day; and

WHEREAS, On March 31, 1962, his 35th birthday, Cesar Chavez resigned from CSO, choosing instead to move his wife and eight small children to Delano, California and dedicate himself full-time to organizing farm workers; the first convention of Cesar's National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) convened in Fresno, California on September 30, 1962; and

WHEREAS, The 1960s presented a prime opportunity for Cesar Chavez and his new organization to advocate for the rights of migrant workers; having worked on building the membership of his infant union during the early 1960s, the NFWA, with 1,200-member families, voted on September 16, 1965 to join an ongoing strike against Delano-area grape growers begun by the mostly Filipino American members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (AWOC), beginning the famous five-year Delano Grape Strike; during March and April of 1966, Cesar and a band of strikers embarked upon a 340-mile Peregrinacion (Pilgrimage) from Delano to the steps of the California state capitol in Sacramento to draw national attention to the suffering of farm workers; as a result of the march and a four-month boycott, Schenley Vineyards negotiated an agreement with NFWA, the first genuine union contract between a grower and farm workers' union in United States history; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez's success with the NFWA continued throughout the late 1960s, with a successful boycott at the DiGiorgio Fruit Corporation and a strike at the Giumarra Vineyards Corporation; in 1966, the NFWA and the Filipino American AWOC merged to form the United Farm Workers, which affiliated with the AFL-CIO; in 1968, Cesar fasted for 25 days to rededicate his movement to nonviolence; United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy joined over 8,000 farm workers and supporters at a mass where Cesar broke his fast, calling the weakened farm labor leader "one of the heroic figures of our time"; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez's movement continued apace during the 1970s, with most California table grape growers signing UFW contracts by 1970; after Salinas Valley growers signed contracts with the Teamsters Union in the summer of 1970, Cesar led a national boycott of lettuce, a decision that led to a jail sentence in Salinas, California from December 10 to 24 of 1970; still going strong, the UFW became chartered as an independent affiliate by the AFL-CIO in 1972, becoming the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO (UFW); and

WHEREAS, After a hard-fought battle with the California state government and various growers, Cesar Chavez and the UFW managed to pass the landmark Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which guaranteed California farm workers the right to organize and bargain with their employers, in June of 1975; led by Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers of America won hundreds of labor elections across the nation during 1975 and 1976; and

WHEREAS, The number of farm workers protected by UFW contracts grew to about 45,000 by the early 1980s; Republican George Deukmejian was elected California governor in 1982 with $1 million in grower campaign contributions; under Governor Deukmajian's leadership, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board ceased enforcement of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, forcing Cesar Chavez to declare a third grape boycott in 1984; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, 61-year old Cesar Chavez kicked off the "Wrath of Grapes" campaign to draw public attention to the pesticide poisoning of grape workers and their children; the campaign included a 36 day public fast in Delano, California, his last and longest-running; and

WHEREAS, In 1992, Cesar Chavez, working with UFW First Vice President Arturo Rodriguez, led vineyard walkouts in the Coachella and San Joaquin valleys, resulting in the first industry-wide pay hike in eight years for grape workers; this feat proved to be the last for this brave pioneer, who passed away in his sleep on April 23, 1993 in the midst of defending the UFW against a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against the union; and

WHEREAS, On August 8, 1994, President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, to Cesar Chavez in honor of his everlasting contributions to society; and

WHEREAS, Today, the UFW continues its vigilant protection of its many union members; the union remains strong, with undeniable strength in numerous states such as California, Florida, and Washington, a fact that would certainly make Cesar proud; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and his contributions to the downtrodden of our society; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Cesar Chavez as a symbol of our great esteem and respect.