[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 56 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CESAR CHAVEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. PHIL HARE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 29, 2007

  Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, this Saturday, March 31, marks the 80th 
birthday of Cesar Chavez. I am honored to rise before you today to pay 
tribute to Mr. Chavez's dedicated advocacy for workers.
  As a young child, Cesar Chavez experienced the long hours, horrible 
wages and other deplorable conditions and discrimination faced by 
migrant farm workers, which emboldened him to fight for justice and 
fairness for all working people of this country.
  In 1962, Mr. Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association 
(now known as the United Farm Workers of America), through which he 
organized migrant workers in campaigns for safe and fair working 
conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing, and the elimination of 
child labor.
  His tireless leadership and use of nonviolent tactics, such as fasts, 
boycotts, strikes and pilgrimages, brought awareness to the conditions 
of farm workers and their struggle for better pay and safer working 
conditions.
  Mr. Chavez is credited for the passage of the groundbreaking 1975 
California Agriculture Labor Relations Act, which remains the only law 
in the Nation that protects farm and migrant workers' rights to 
unionize.
  Madam Speaker, I came out of the labor movement as a lining cutter at 
Seaford Clothing factory in Rock Island, IL. I owe Cesar Chavez a great 
deal of gratitude for his diligent efforts to achieve dignity, respect, 
fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, and humane living 
conditions for all workers, which laid the ground work for the 
additional labor protections I was able to fight for while President of 
UNITE Here local 617. Mr. Chavez has and always will be an inspiration 
to me, as well as a reminder of what can be achieved by the will and 
conviction of one person.
  I am happy to see that several states have acknowledged the 
contributions of Cesar Chavez by dedicating a state holiday in his 
honor, including my home state of Illinois. For four consecutive 
Congresses, Congressman Joe Baca has led a movement to recognize the 
contributions of Cesar Chavez with a national holiday. I am honored to 
join the distinguished gentlemen from California and 51 of my 
colleagues as a cosponsor of H. Res. 76, the Cesar Chavez Holiday Act.
  Not only does this legislation recognize the contributions Cesar 
Chavez made to the labor movement but it also aims to educate students 
on the life and work of this courageous man.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor Cesar Chavez by 
supporting the Cesar Chavez Holiday Act.

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