We were pleased to present Linda Chavez-Thompson, former Executive Vice-President of the AFL-CIO with the ninth annual Farmworker Justice Award on Wednesday May 14th, 2008.   Farmworker Justice is proud to honor Ms. Chavez as a labor leader and former farmworker who has advanced the interests of farmworkers throughout her career.

GUEST SPEAKER:  Baldemar Velasquez, President, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO.

We thank the National Education Association for their generous offer to host the Reception.  Deputy Executive Director John Stocks welcomed us at the event.   

Scroll down for photos of the event.

Linda Chavez-Thompson began chopping cotton in Texas at age ten, left school to work in the fields to help support her family, and continued farm work through her teens.  She became a labor organizer and later won election as Vice President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.  In 1995 she was elected Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO, the highest position ever held by a woman or a person of color.   She retired in late 2007 and is now Executive Vice President Emerita.  Throughout her years at the AFL-CIO, Ms. Chavez-Thompson supported the work of farmworker advocates and the efforts of Farmworker Justice. 

We are pleased to have the opportunity to honor Linda Chavez-Thompson for her lifelong dedication to the cause of improving living and working conditions for the nation's agricultural workers.  Previous recipients of this annual award are Rep. Howard Berman, María Echaveste, Dolores Huerta, Sen. Edward Kennedy, Rep. George Miller, Arturo Rodriguez, Baldemar Velasquez, and Raul Yzaguirre.   

Farmworker Justice is a national advocacy organization for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.  Our mission is to empower farmworkers to improve their wages, working conditions, immigration status, occupational safety, health and access to justice.  We engage in high-impact litigation, advocacy, training, technical assistance, coalition building, and support for farmworker organizing.  Supporters like you have enabled us to help farmworkers for the past 27 years.  And the best is yet to come.

A very special thank you to all our sponsors!

Benefactor

California Endowment

Linda Lipsett & Jules Bernstein

Service Employees International Union

Southern Poverty Law Center

Patron

J. Routt Reigart

James & Hoffman P.C.

James B. Leonard and Joan S. Leonard

Robin Talbert and Bruce Goldstein

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union

Friend

Kathy L. Krieger

Ross Eisenbrey and Barbara Somson

Jeannette Noltenius and Rick Swartz  

Committee for Farmworker Justice of Rural Opportunities Inc.  

Sponsor

America Rights at Work

Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

Children’s Defense Fund

Dale E. Good and Lois A. Good

Jo Ann K. Intili

Irasema Garza

Julie K. Clark

Mehri & Skalet, PLLC

Representative Howard Berman

Representative Hilda L. Solis

Nueva Vista Group

Rural Housing, Inc.

The Raben Group

United Mine Workers of America

UAW, Region 9-A

UMOS 

Supporter

American G.I. Forum, (Visalia,CA)

Anonymous

Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc.

Herman Schwartz

Cornelia and Jan Flora

Jim Klimaski

Karen Coe

D. Michael Hancock and Joan Dall'Acqua

Linda F. Golodner

Octaviana Trujillo