Oregon Governor Kate Brown to Proclaim March 31st Cesar Chavez Community Service Day

Oregon Governor Kate Brown to Proclaim March 31st Cesar Chavez Community Service Day

State Legislators and Farmworker & Health Advocates to Gather at State Capitol Tomorrow to Mark the Historic Event

Salem, Ore. --  Oregon Governor Kate Brown will proclaim March 31st as Cesar Chavez Community  Service Day.  To mark this historic day, we will gather at the Oregon State Capitol today (Tuesday, March 31st) with Oregon State Representatives Joe Gallegos and Jessica Vega Pederson, the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs and farmworker and Latino immigrant health advocates.

Cesar Chavez Community Service Day Commemoration

Tuesday, March 31st, 2015 | 12:00 Noon

Office of Governor Kate Brown

Ceremony Room

Oregon State Capitol

900 Court Street NE

Salem, Oregon 97301

Governor Kate Brown's Proclamation of March 31st as Cesar Chavez Community Service Day recognizes the life and legacy of César Chávez’s public service and honors farm workers. Oregon's agribusiness employs up to 150,000 year-round, seasonal and migrant farm workers are key partners for the safety, security and sustainability of our agriculture; and Oregon's farm workers labor contributes more than six billion dollars annually to the state's economy. Chavez’s dedication to non-violent organizing for just wages, safe labor conditions, and dignity for the women, men and children who toil in the fields, moved him to lead a struggle that included advocacy, public fasting, boycotts, labor strikes, and other peaceful actions.

Chavez helped bring national attention to the unsafe and unfair working conditions of farmworkers while inspiring millions of people to join the fight for farmworkers’ rights. We’ve come a long way but farmworkers are still left out of some of our country’s most important labor and health laws. We must continue to fight for the workers who often work in the most dangerous and labor-intensive jobs.

Farmworkers are the backbone to our state's agriculture industry, and like any worker in the Oregon, they deserve real labor and health protections. This is not only a legal issue, but a moral and human rights issue that will ensure dignity and safety for these important laborers and their children. 

The legacy of Chavez continues today through the work of farmworker and Latino immigrant advocates like Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Oregon Latino Health Coalition, and Causa.

This session, the legislature has an opportunity to protect Oregon’s farmworkers and their families when they get sick. Sick days are important to every family and we must ensure that farmworkers are not cut out of the Paid Sick Days bill. In addition, the legislature has an opportunity to take a first step to ensure that all children have access to the care that they need. Today, Oregon has 17,600 low-income children who do not have full access to the Oregon Medicaid Program. This means that many of these children must delay or go without essential doctor visits and medications.

It’s in Oregon’s Economic Interest to Cover all Children. Apart from a healthier population, Studies have found a connection between a healthier childhood and higher incomes and greater wealth during adulthood. Increased educational achievement and a more productive workforce will strengthen Oregon’s economy . 

Participants to include Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Oregon Latino Health Coaltion (OLHC), Causa, and Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs.