[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26708]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      TRIBUTE TO ARTURO RODRIGUEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 25, 1999

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my close friend, 
Arturo Rodriguez, who has been the president of the United Farm Workers 
since 1993. Arturo assumed the presidency of the UFW following the 
death of the organization's founder, Cesar Chavez. Although no one 
could ever replace Cesar Chavez, just as no one could ever replace 
Martin Luther King, those of us who care deeply about the UFW and the 
plight of farmworkers have been tremendously impressed by Arturo's 
leadership and accomplishments these past 6 years.
  Under Arturo's direction, the UFW won 16 straight secret-ballot 
elections--most by big margins--and signed 21 new contracts with 
growers. He also organized some highly publicized, well-attended 
marches on behalf of the UFW. The marchers always include many 
teenagers too young to have personal memories of Cesar Chavez, but 
eager to continue the work of the UFW.
  When he was a teenager living in San Antonio, TX, in the mid 1960's, 
Arturo first heard from his parish priest about Cesar Chavez and the 
burgeoning UFW. Inspired by the struggle, Arturo became an active 
supporter of the farmworkers. At the University of Michigan in 1971, 
for example, Arturo organized support for UFW boycotts.
  In 1973, Arturo met Cesar Chavez, which changed his life in two ways. 
For one, he joined the UFW, working for two decades to plot and 
implement strategy. The second was a bonus: Arturo met and fell in love 
with Linda Chavez, Cesar's daughter. The couple were married in 1974 at 
La Paz, the UFW's headquarters near Bakersfield, CA. Today Arturo and 
Linda live at La Paz with their three children.
  Prior to becoming its president, Arturo worked on many key issues for 
the UFW. In 1975, Arturo helped organize union representation elections 
in the Salinas Valley, including the UFW campaign at Molera Packing 
Co.--the artichoke ranch where the first election under the California 
Agricultural Labor Relations Act took place. Two years later, he 
organized union elections in Imperial Valley vegetable fields and 
Ventura County citrus orchards.
  From May through September 1992, Arturo coordinated UFW help for 
grape workers walking off their jobs in the largest Coachella and San 
Joaquin Valley vineyard demonstrations in 20 years. He became president 
in May 1993, a few weeks after the death of Cesar Chavez.
  Arturo has renewed UFW's presence both in the fields and in the halls 
of government. In Sacramento and in Washington, he joins our struggle 
to prevent the restoration of the discredited and disgraced bracero 
program.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Arturo Rodriguez, whose 
lifelong commitment to civil rights and economic justice inspires us 
all. I am proud to be his friend and to fight by his side against 
further exploitation of America's farmworkers.

                          ____________________