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| Several hours after beginning the march, participants entered Cesar Chavez Plaza for speeches, music, and dancing. |
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Andy Imutan, co-organizer and former VP of the UFW, recounted the early days of organizing farm workers in the fields of California. "On September 8, 1965, the Filipino workers went on strike in Delano, but we were having a problem at the time--As in previous years, when the Filipino workers would strike, the Mexicans would scab on them, and when the Mexican workers would strike, the Filipino workers would scab on them. On this particular instance, there was a man named Cesar Chavez who got all of us united as one. When we first approached him, he said "We're not ready for that, but we'll think about it." Then on September 15th, the NFWA (National Farm Workers) joined our strike in the fields and that was the beginning of the end for the growers in Delano. We(the Filipino union and the NFWA) began to understand each other, that we were working for the same cause and that was the beginning of the United Farm Workers." |
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| Traditional dancers in Cesar Chavez Plaza. |
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| Andrew Gaitan, SEIU Local 1877 (Janitor's union). "The janitors have learned a tremendous amount from Cesar's struggle, particularly here in Sac, where 8-9 years ago, most of the janitors didn't have healthcare and were earning minimum wage. There are now actually 1,000 janitors (union organized) in this area who, thanks to support from this community, have earned family health benefits and have a better hope for their future. The fight for better standards for workers is not over-- it continues. Just as there were supermarket workers in S. California who had to fight for their medical benefits-- those fights are coming up here when the contracts expire. The communication workers are also facing a tremendous fight for healthcare benefits....We need to support those struggles, because whether it's the CWA, supermarket workers, janitors, or fieldworkers, the fight for healthcare in the United States for working people is one of the toughest fights we face today." |