Bill Text: IL HR0775 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Commends the work of farm workers' leader César Estrada Chávez.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-30 - Resolution Adopted [HR0775 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HR0775-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to commend the work of farm | ||||||
4 | workers' leader César Estrada Chávez; and
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5 | WHEREAS, César Chávez was born to immigrant parents on | ||||||
6 | March 31, 1927 on a farm near Yuma, Arizona; in the late 1930s, | ||||||
7 | his family lost their farm and became migrant workers in | ||||||
8 | California; he quit school after the 8th grade in order to help | ||||||
9 | support his family by working in the fields full time; and
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10 | WHEREAS, From a young age, César Chávez encountered | ||||||
11 | wretched migrant camps, corrupt labor contractors, meager | ||||||
12 | wages for backbreaking work, and bitter racism; he later | ||||||
13 | helped improve those conditions for millions of workers across | ||||||
14 | the U.S.; and
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15 | WHEREAS, César Chávez was introduced to labor organizing | ||||||
16 | in 1952 when community organizer Fred Ross recruited him to | ||||||
17 | the Community Service Organization; he soon took the position | ||||||
18 | of national director for the organization but resigned in 1962 | ||||||
19 | to devote his time to organizing a union for farm workers; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Driven to improve the working conditions he | ||||||
21 | experienced as a child, César Chávez co-founded the National |
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1 | Farm Workers Association in 1962, which would later become the | ||||||
2 | United Farm Workers of America (UFW); and
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3 | WHEREAS, César Chávez's leadership and nonviolent tactics | ||||||
4 | were utilized during the Delano, California grape strike, | ||||||
5 | which began in September 1965; his fasts and the 340-mile | ||||||
6 | march from Delano to Sacramento focused national attention on | ||||||
7 | the problems of farm workers; the marchers wanted California | ||||||
8 | to pass laws that would permit farm workers to organize into a | ||||||
9 | union and allow collective bargaining agreements; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The first union contracts required rest periods, | ||||||
11 | clean drinking water, hand washing stations, and protective | ||||||
12 | clothing to prevent pesticide exposure; the contracts were | ||||||
13 | signed in 1966 but were followed by more years of conflict; in | ||||||
14 | 1968, César Chávez began a fast that lasted 25 days to protest | ||||||
15 | the increasing advocacy of violence within the union; on July | ||||||
16 | 29, 1970, 26 Delano-area growers formally signed contracts | ||||||
17 | recognizing the UFW, bringing peace to the vineyard; and
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18 | WHEREAS, After a hard-fought battle with the California | ||||||
19 | state government and various growers, the United Farm Workers | ||||||
20 | of America and César Chávez managed to pass the landmark | ||||||
21 | Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which guaranteed | ||||||
22 | California farm workers the right to organize and bargain with | ||||||
23 | their employers; and
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1 | WHEREAS, César Chávez passed away in his sleep on April | ||||||
2 | 23, 1933 after devoting his life to making a change for the | ||||||
3 | working class by fighting for equal pay and better working | ||||||
4 | conditions; and
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5 | WHEREAS, On August 8 1994, César Chávez posthumously | ||||||
6 | received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill | ||||||
7 | Clinton in recognition of the formidable and often violent | ||||||
8 | oppositions he faced with dignity and nonviolence; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Today, the United Farm Workers of America | ||||||
10 | continues its vigilant protection of its many union members; | ||||||
11 | the UFW remains strong, a fact that would certainly make César | ||||||
12 | Chávez proud; therefore, be it
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13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
14 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
15 | we commend the work of farm workers' leader César Estrada | ||||||
16 | Chávez; and be it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
18 | presented to the family of César Chávez as a symbol of our | ||||||
19 | great esteem and respect.
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