HR0266 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0266 LRB101 11924 MST 59002 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Born to immigrant parents, Cesar Chavez encountered wretched migrant camps, corrupt labor contractors, meager wages for backbreaking work, and bitter racism; he later helped change those conditions for millions of workers across the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez was introduced to labor organizing in 1952 when an activist priest recruited him to be an organizer for the Community Service Organization; he soon took on the position as national director of the organization but resigned in 1962 to devote his time to organizing a union for farm workers; and

WHEREAS, Angered by his childhood that consisted of picking cotton and grapes and enduring poverty and prejudice, Cesar Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez's leadership and nonviolent tactics included the Delano, California grape strike, which began in September 1965; his fasts and the 340-mile march from Delano to Sacramento focused national attention on the problems of farm workers; the marchers wanted California to pass laws that would permit farm workers to organize into a union and allow collective bargaining agreements; and

WHEREAS, The first union contracts required rest periods, clean drinking water, hand washing stations, and protective clothing to prevent pesticide exposure; the contracts were signed in 1966 but were followed by more years of conflict; in 1968, Cesar Chavez began a fast that lasted 25 days to protest the increasing advocacy of violence within the union; on July 29, 1970, 26 Delano-area growers formally signed contracts recognizing the United Farm Workers, bringing peace to the vineyard; and

WHEREAS, On August 8 1994, Cesar Chavez's family received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in his honor; President Clinton recognized him for facing formidable and often violent oppositions with dignity and nonviolence; and

WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez devoted his life to making a change for the working class; he fought for equal pay and better working conditions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 as "Cesar Chavez Day in Illinois" in order to commemorate his selfless fight to ensure the dignity of workers and their ability to unionize and collectively bargain in the United States.