Dozens of local 235A members, along with allies from SOAR and other unions, joined a crowd of participants on Saturday, March 28, for the 16th annual Cesar Chavez celebration and march in Corpus Christi.
Chavez, born March 31, 1927, is a longtime hero of labor and dedicated his life to fighting for better wages and working conditions for farm workers. The struggles that he supported are not that different than what workers today are experiencing, said Local 235A Vice President Rey Herrera.
“Our passion is to represent employees and to give workers a right to speak and make sure that their work environment is safe and that they have health care,” he said.
The life of the United Farm Workers founder, who died in 1993, should serve as an inspiration to members of Local 235A who have been locked out at Sherwin Alumina for nearly six months, Herrera said.
“We need to continue the fight,” Herrera said. “Cesar Chavez never gave up.”