Bill Text: NY J02067 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 31, 2024, as Cesar Chavez Day in the State of New York

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 42-21)

Status: (Passed) 2024-04-03 - ADOPTED [J02067 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J02067-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 2067

BY: Senator RAMOS

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        March 31, 2024, as Cesar Chavez Day in the State  of
        New York

  WHEREAS,  Our  nation  is  a symbol of democracy, peace, freedom and
justice born out of the many men and women who have fought for and  died
to preserve it; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 31, 2024, as Cesar
Chavez Day in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Cesar  E.  Chavez,  of  humble  origins,  and  of  Mexican
parentage,  was born in Yuma, Arizona, on March 31, 1927, and was raised
on his family's farm; due to a bad business deal, they had to sell their
farm; and

  WHEREAS, On May 19, 1970,  the  California  Rural  Legal  Assistance
(CRLA)  reached  an  understanding  to  not  form or attempt to form any
agriculture worker's union; CRLA recognized that  its  function  was  to
serve the rural poor, not as union organizers, advisors, or negotiators,
but as a law firm concerned with legal matters; and

  WHEREAS,  Therefore,  with  respect to those class matters involving
farm work employment, including wages and fringe  benefits,  pesticides,
discrimination   against   union   workers,  field  conditions,  working
conditions, farm pollution  problems,  water,  farm  labor  contractors,
green card and illegal entrant, agriculture employers and agri-business,
and subsidies, CRLA agreed to consult before any action was taken; and

  WHEREAS,   Five  years  later,  the  California  Agricultural  Labor
Relations Act (CALRA), a landmark  statute,  enacted  by  the  State  of
California,   became  law  on  June  5,  1975,  establishing  collective
bargaining for farm workers in that state; this agreement was reached on
May 19, 1975, on a compromise bill; and

  WHEREAS, Cesar Chavez was known for his keen leadership  style,  his
non-violent  stance,  and his constant struggle to protect the rights of
farm workers in California and throughout the United States; and

  WHEREAS,  Between  1952  and  1962,  Cesar  Chavez  worked  for  the
Community  Services  Organization;  when  they  refused to organize farm
workers in 1962, he left and co-founded the United  Farmers  Union  with
Dolores Huerta; the bylaws were approved by the AFL-CIO in 1966; and

  WHEREAS,  Cesar  Chavez  represents,  for many people, a humble role
model and at the  same  time,  demonstrates  powerful  convictions;  his
boycotts  of  grapes  and  other products raised consciousness about the
life and struggles of farm  workers,  their  needs  and  desires  for  a
quality of life and education; and

  WHEREAS,  Cesar  Chavez's  motto,  "Si  Se Puede" translated "Yes We
Can," is a reflection of this commitment; and

  WHEREAS,  Like  Mahatma  Ghandi  and  Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar
Chavez believed  in  and  carried  out  his  struggle  adhering  to  the
principles  of non-violence; his many acts of protest and, particularly,
fasting served to unify the workers, alert America  to  the  dangers  of
pesticides  and  stimulate  the  conscience  and  support of many in our
Nation; and

  WHEREAS, On May 19, 2011, the United States Navy  named  a  ship  in
memory  of  Mexican-American activist Cesar Chavez who served the United
States Navy from 1944-1946, after  which  he  became  a  leader  in  the
American  Labor  Movement  and  co-founded  the  National  Farm  Workers
Association; and

  WHEREAS, The family of the State of New York commemorates and honors
Cesar Chavez as a champion of democracy and  human  rights;  his  legacy
remains  in  the  hearts and minds of many, but not nearly as much as in
the workers and members of the United Farm Workers of America, which  he
founded  and  has,  since his death on April 23, 1993, grown from 20,000
members to approximately 27,000 members; and

  WHEREAS, It is fitting that New York, which passed the Farm Laborers
Fair Labor Practices Act in 2019 to support equal protections  for  farm
workers  under  the  law,  joins  in honoring a great leader -- Cesar E.
Chavez; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 31, 2024, as Cesar
Chavez Day in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.