César
Chávez
Day in Nevada
EL
DÍA DE CÉSAR CHÁVEZ
 |
March
15, 2013
Posted to CesarChavezNevada.com and the United
Farmworkers website on 3-15-2013
Updated general release 3-19 and 3-20-2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Andrew Barbano, 775-882-TALK (882-8255)
e-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us
César
Chávez Celebration XI
Thursday
/ March 28, 2013 / Circus
Circus-Reno
Gov.
Sandoval declines invitation for third year in a row
Celebración
de César Chávez
XI
Jueves,
28 de Marzo, 2013 / Circus Circus - Reno
El
Gobernador de Nevada, Brian Sandoval,
declinó la invitación por el tercer año
consecutivo.
RENO,
Nevada, USA — Nevada César Chávez
Day XI takes place on Thursday, March 28, 2013, at Circus
Circus Hotel-Casino in Reno. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner
at 7:15 p.m.
As always, members of César Chávez's immediate
family have been invited as well as federal, state and local
officials. The Nevada Legislative Hispanic Caucus
will send a delegation.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has declined an invitation
for the third year in a row.
In
accordance with the bi-partisan measure
(1) passed by the 2009 legislature, each governor must
proclaim March 31 as a day in honor of César Chávez.
The legendary American labor leader was born on March 31,
1927, near Yuma, Ariz.
Gov.
Sandoval overlooked the proclamation last year and has not
issued one for 2013.
"We moved the celebration to Thursday so that it would
not conflict with Easter Sunday," event organizer Andrew
Barbano stated, adding that "should the governor
change his mind, he will be most welcome and can bring the
proclamation in person."
In 2010, the event inaugurated the César Chávez
Nevada Labor Hall of Fame. The first inductee was former
Harrah's bartender Darlene
Jespersen, whose wrongful termination legal action
became an international cause celébre and is taught
in many law schools today.
Honorees in 2011
included 28-year former Assemblymember Bob Price,
D-North Las Vegas. A member of International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers Local 357/AFL-CIO for more than half
a century, Price and his wife, former University Regent
Nancy Price, now reside in Sparks.
Wendy
Jones, 50-year former office manager of IBEW Local 401/AFL-CIO
was installed, as was her husband, former Nevada Labor Commissioner
Stan Jones. The retired member of Sheet Metal Workers
Local 26/AFL-CIO also served as director of the Nevada Employment
Security Dept.
Last year, longtime Local 26 activist Sam Lumpe and
former Laborer's Union Local
169 Business Manager Dan Rusnak were inducted.
Local 169 is again the major sponsor of the event and has
been involved since its inception.
Nominations remain open for union organizer, employer and
project of the year.
Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended.
On Thursday, March 28, doors of the Circus Circus Mandalay
Ballroom will open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 7:15
p.m. Reserved tables for 10 are $600 if purchased on or
before March 25 and $725.00 thereafter.
Individual tickets purchased on or before March 25 are $65
per person; thereafter or at the door, $75 per person; children
under 12 are $ 25.00 each; seniors 65+ or students (with
student i.d.) purchased on or before March 25 are $35 per
person; $40 per person thereafter.
Tickets may be purchased online
at CesarChavezNevada.com or by calling Andrew Barbano
at (775) 786-1455.
The
website has major sponsorship information
as well as history and photos dating back to 1986
when Chávez
visited Reno to speak to workers.
_____
1. AB 301, sponsored
by Assemblyman (now Senator) Ruben Kihuen, D-Las
Vegas, and 18 others.
|
Obama
pays tribute to late Reno labor leader
|
|
THE
WAY WE WERE — The above is a recently
discovered photo from 1986. Left to right are Kathy
Brown, Culinary Union Local 86 office manager;
Miguel Contreras, Local 86 Secretary-Treasurer;
Local 86 President Bill Uehlein; a lady named
Natalie (anyone who knows her last name, please
write), and César Chávez.
This item was first published in Ahora, northern
Nevada's Spanish-English weekly, on March 26, 2008.
(UPDATE: On 3-19-2009, President Obama paid tribute
to Brother Contreras as he spoke in the Los Angeles
building named after the late labor leader. See the
1986 Chávez Reno archive, below.)
(Photo
courtesy of Dan Rusnak, retired business manager of
Laborers' Union Local
169.)
More stories
and photos from César Chávez's 1986
Reno visit.
|
Celebración
de César Chávez
XI
Jueves,
28 de Marzo, 2013 / Circus Circus - Reno
El
Gobernador de Nevada, Brian Sandoval,
declinó la invitación por el tercer año
consecutivo.
RENO, Nevada, USA –
El día de César Chávez XI en Nevada
tomará lugar el día Jueves 28 de Marzo, 2013, en el
Hotel-Casino Circus Circus en Reno. Las puertas se abren a las 5:30
p.m., la cena a las 7:15 p.m.
Como siempre, la familia inmediata de César Chávez
ha sido invitada, así también como los funcionarios
electos a nivel federal, estatal y local. El Comité Legislativo
Hispano mandará una delegación.
El Gobernador de Nevada, Brian Sandoval, declinó la
invitación por el tercer año consecutivo. De acuerdo
con las medidas bi-partisanas (1) pasada
por la Legislatura en el año 2009, cada gobernador debe proclamar
el 31 de Marzo como un día para honrar a César Chávez.
El líder legendario del labor nació el 31 de Marzo
del año 1927, cerca de Yuma, Arizona. El Gobernador Sandoval
pasó por alto la proclamación el año pasado
y todavía tendría que emitir una para el 2013.
"Hemos cambiado la celebración al día Jueves
para evadir conflictos con el Domingo de Pascuas," dijo el
organizador del evento Andrew Barbano,
agregó que "si el Gobernador cambia de opinión,
el será bienvenido y puede traer la proclamación en
persona."
En 2010, el evento inauguró el Salón de Fama Laboral
de César Chávez en Nevada. La primer recluta fue
la barista de mucho tiempo del Hotel-Casino Harrah’s, Darlene
Jespersen, cuya acción legal por su despido injusto
se convirtió en una causa celebratoria internacional y es
enseñado en muchas facultades de derecho hoy en día.
Galardonados en el 2011
incluyeron al ex asambleísta de 28 años, Bob Price,
Demócrata del Norte de Las Vegas. Un miembro de La Hermandad
de Trabajadores Eléctricos Internacional Local 357/AFL-CIO
por mas de medio siglo, Price y su esposa, ex Regente Universitario
Nancy Price, ahora residen en Sparks.
Wendy Jones, ex gerente de IBEW Local 401/AFL-CIO por 50
años fue instalada en 2011, al igual que su esposo, ex Comisionado
Laboral de Nevada, Stan Jones. El miembro retirado de Sheet
Metal Workers Local 26/AFL-CIO también se desempeñó
como director del Departamento de Seguridad de Empleo de Nevada.
El año pasado, el Salón de Fama galardonó al
activista de mucho tiempo de la Local 26 Sam Lumpe y al ex
gerente de Negocios de la Unión
Local de Trabajo 169, Dan Rusnak. La Local 169 vuelve
a ser la patrocinadora principal del evento y lo a apoyado desde
el comienzo.
Hay nominaciones que
continúan abiertas para organizador sindicato, empleador,
y proyecto del año.
El cupo es limitado
y las reservaciones en avance son recomendadas
El Jueves, 28 Marzo, las puertas del Salón de Baile
Mandalay en el Circus Circus se abrirán a las 5:30
p.m. con la cena a las 7:15 p.m. Las mesas reservadas para 10
personas cuestan $600 si es que se compran en el día 25
de Marzo o antes y $725 después de esa fecha. Boletos
individuales que se compren el 25 de Marzo o antes cuestan $65
por persona; después de esa fecha o en la puerta, cuestan
$75 por persona; los boletos para niños menores de 12 años
cuestan $25 cada uno; los boletos que se compren para personas
de 65 años o mas o para estudiantes (con identificación
de estudiante) el 25 de Marzo o antes cuestan $35 por persona;
si se compran después de esa fecha, cuestan $40 por persona.
Los boletos pueden ser ordenados en línea
o llamando a Andrew Barbano al (775) 882-8255.
El sitio web tiene información sobre
patrocinadores principales, y también sobre la historia
y fotos desde el año 1986 cuando Cesar Chávez visito
Reno para hablar con trabajadores.
El murió en
el año 1993.
_____
1.
AB 301, patrocinado por Asambleísta (ahora Senador)
Ruben Kihuen, D-Las Vegas, y otros 18.
César
Chávez event looks like America
by
Tony Mayorga
Guest
Commentary / Reno Gazette-Journal / 3-28-2013
|
Tony Mayorga
|
This
Thursday evening at Reno's Circus Circus, we will celebrate
far more than the life of labor leader César Chávez
(1927-1993).
We will celebrate America because the event will look like
America.
Much has changed since César
Chávez's 1986 Reno visit, but much work remains.
His beloved field workers still labor in sometimes dangerous
and inhumane conditions, including here.
America's children still suffer from separate
and unequal education, including here.
Fortunately, where problems appear, good people arise to
address them.
This, too, looks like America.
On Thursday, United Auto Workers leader George Nelson
will lead a number of Chávez alumni from the earliest
days of the United Farm Workers. He was present when
UAW President Walther Reuther put the UFW on firm
financial footing and funded construction of its headquarters
in 1969.
Nelson will advocate for a posthumous presidential pardon
for the first African-American heavyweight champion, Jack
Johnson, convicted of the crime of being black almost
a century ago.
On Thursday, the Reno-Sparks
NAACP will sign up new members.
Maria Zamora will tell of her
days marching through California with Chávez and
cooking for peaceful protestors.
Fred Ross, Jr., will remember his father, the man
who taught Chávez how to organize workers. He will
show photos of his dad with César and Woody Guthrie,
among others. A national campaign is now underway to award
Fred Ross, Sr., a posthumous Presidential
Medal of Freedom.
Mi Familia Vota will register voters. Representatives
of Immigration Reform for Nevada will address one
of America's most pressing issues.
Noted local artist Erik Holland will display his
latest work about workers, including Chávez's
long march to Sacramento.
Over the past decade, Chàvez relatives have always
attended. His nephew Ramon, who lives here, will
bring his family.
Members of the Legislative Hispanic Caucus are expected
along with local leaders and workers.
Due to a surprise engagement, Culinary Workers Union Local
226 Political Director Yvana Cancela will be conspicuous
by her absence
President Obama called her to the White House to
be honored as one of eleven Champions of Change, "those
who embody the spirit of César Chávez's legacy
and commit themselves to working in their communities to
advocate and organize around immigration-related issues."
We will recognize her achievement Thursday.
When he flew to California to convince César to break
a fast that threatened his life, Sen. Robert Kennedy,
D-NY, stated "When your children and grandchildren
take their place in America, going to high school and college
and taking good jobs at good pay — when you look at
them, you will say, 'I did this. I was there, at the point
of difficulty and danger'. And though you may be old and
bent from many years of labor, no man will stand taller
than you when you say, 'I marched with César'."
As Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, said years later,
the work goes on, the dream will never die.
¡Sí se puede!
______
Tony
Mayorga serves as president and apprenticeship coordinator
for Laborers' International
Union Local 169.
César
Chávez's fight for justice lives on
by Tony
Mayorga
Guest
Commentary / Reno Gazette-Journal / 3-31-2012
|
Tony Mayorga
|
The
spirit of César Chávez lives on whenever an Nevada
worker protests unsafe conditions.
The spirit of César Chávez lives on whenever a woman,
a person of color or older worker stands up to discrimination.
The spirit of César Chávez lives on whenever a miner
speaks out about unsafe practices that continue to injure and kill
his fellow workers.
The spirit of César Chávez wept when Las Vegas Strip
construction craftsmen were regularly injured and killed on the
job.
The spirit of César Chávez is troubled as Nevada construction
and mining inspection is chronically understaffed and underfunded.
The spirit of César Chávez screams whenever inattentive
motorists endanger themselves, other drivers and road construction
workers.
The spirit of César Chávez feels pride whenever a
Nevada farm worker objects to inhuman living and working conditions.
The memory of César Chávez was insulted when pregnant
17 year-old grape harvester Maria Isavel Jimenez was criminally
mistreated — denied even water in California heat — and
died as a result.
The spirit of César Chávez wept when her employers
were slapped on the wrist.
The spirit of César Chávez cries for justice as does
her family.
The Internet is rife with the scare tactics of anti-worker lawyers
and consultants offering to protect employers from their own employees,
promoting fear and loathing, not productivity.
César Chávez would be troubled to see that almost
20 years after his death, so many offer the iron fist rather than
extending an open hand.
Workers are not the enemy. Unions are not the enemy. A good day's
pay for a good day's work in a safe environment is all that workers
ask.
Irrational fear and the export of good American jobs are the real
maladies. Clear thinking and mutual respect are the remedies.
Nevada has for too long suffered from a company town mentality pitting
taxpayers against students and teachers, newcomers against longtimers,
the young versus the old.
March 31 is César Chávez Day in Nevada, the 86th anniversary
of the great labor leader's birth.
On Saturday,
we will bring together friends and strangers, allies and adversaries,
labor and management, apprentices and journeymen, trainees and retirees,
humble citizens and high officeholders, all to envision what we
may build and how to accomplish it.
Celebrate the spirit of César Chávez with Nevada workers
and their families on Saturday evening at Circus Circus in Reno.
(Information at CesarChavezNevada.com)
Then move forward and continue César Chávez's work.
Speak out
against and report injustices and dangers foisted upon Nevada workers.
Participate
on national Workers
Memorial Day when Nevadans will join their brothers and
sisters across the nation to remember those hurt or killed on the
job and to advocate for better working conditions.
We are the spirit of César Chávez, the spirit of the
neverending fight for justice.
Please join
us in our fight as we celebrate his life.
______
Tony Mayorga
serves as president and apprenticeship coordinator for Laborers'
International Union Local 169.
News
/ Noticias
AFL-CIO
and NAACP support Obama choice of Perez as new Secretary of Labor
Las Vegas Sun / 3-18-2013
|
