[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 22, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S4695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DOLORES HUERTA

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, few people have done as much for 
America's workers as Dolores Huerta. She is a preeminent labor and 
civil rights leader who has worked tirelessly and skillfully to enhance 
and improve the working conditions for farm workers and their families 
for more than 40 years. She is the heart and soul--and the muscle--of 
the farm worker labor movement. And I join those in lauding her for all 
she has accomplished. No injustice and no wrong is too big or too small 
for Dolores's attention. And we are all so proud of all she does so 
well.
  Born in Dawson, NM, on April 10, 1930, Dolores Huerta was raised, in 
Stockton, CA, in the San Joaquin Valley. Growing up, she saw first-hand 
the poverty that local farm workers endured. She also saw the 
generosity that her mother showed in providing free food and housing to 
local farm workers.
  Dolores earned a teaching degree from Stockton College, but she left 
the profession because she could not stand to see her students the 
children of farm workers come to school hungry and without shoes. 
Convinced that she could be more helpful to their children by 
organizing farm workers, she founded the Stockton Chapter of the 
Community Service Organization in 1955, a Latino association to educate 
and assist these families.
  In 1962, Dolores Huerta joined Cesar Chavez in founding the National 
Farm Workers Association which eventually became the famous United Farm 
Workers Organizing Committee.
  As a co-founder of UFWOC, Ms. Huerta's efforts have led to wide-
ranging reforms for farm workers and their families. For example, Ms. 
Huerta negotiated a contract which established the first health and 
benefit plan for farm workers. In addition, her consumer boycotts 
resulted in the enactment of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act, the 
first United States law that granted workers to collectively bargain 
for better working conditions. Ms. Huerta also fought hard against 
toxic pesticides which were destructive to farm workers and the 
environment, and negotiated agreements to ensure that dangerous 
pesticides were not used in the fields.
  Ms. Huerta has already been recognized by many for the groundbreaking 
work that she has done. She has received several honorary doctorate 
degrees and was honored as one the ``100 Most Important Women of the 
20th Century.'' In addition, Ms. Huerta was recently named one of six 
Women Sustaining the American Spirit. We here in the Senate thank Ms. 
Huerta for her passion and commitment to children, women and farm 
worker families. All workers deserve fair treatment and safe working 
conditions. The American people are better off today because of all she 
has done, and it is a privilege to be able to offer her this tribute 
from the United States Senate.

                          ____________________