Doing Cesar Proud

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Through perseverance and a lot of lobbying, the 720 members of Local 444 (Council 57) who work for the East Bay Municipal Utility District will now be able to celebrate the birthday of United Farm Workers (UFW) founder Cesar Chávez with a paid holiday.

Last August, Gov. Gray Davis (D) signed into law a bill declaring March 31 a state holiday honoring Chávez and providing a paid day off for 210,000 state workers. The action gave municipal public employee unions — including several AFSCME locals in Los Angeles and Santa Clara — an opportunity to win paid Chávez holidays for their members.

But the utility district board refused Local 444’s request during last year’s contract negotiations, even though the union offered to take a pay cut in exchange. Aided by other locals, the UFW and various public officials, leaders of 444 brought pressure to bear, and the board reversed its decision — without forcing the local and its members to swallow the cost.