LOS ANGELES, CA — The United Farm Workers suspended plans to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day Tuesday, citing explosive allegations of sexual misconduct against the late labor icon involving women and minors.

Cesar Chavez Day is a state holiday celebrated on March 31. The Los Angeles Times broke the news of the allegations against Chavez when he was president of UFW. The union cites inappropriate sexual relationships with women and minors, prompting union organizations to pause upcoming events celebrating the labor rights icon.

UFW released a statement on Tuesday, which read:

“The UFW has learned of deeply troubling allegations that one of the union’s co-founders, Cesar Chavez, behaved in ways that are incompatible with our organization’s values. Some of the reports are family issues, and not our story to tell or our place to comment on. Far more troubling are allegations involving abuse of young women or minors. Allegations that very young women or girls may have been victimized are crushing. We have not received any direct reports, and we do not have any firsthand knowledge of these allegations. However, the allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps to learn more and provide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose.”

It’s unclear who was the source of allegations against Chavez cited by the Los Angeles Times and the union he helped found.

Chavez, who died in 1993, came to prominence in the 1960s when he led calls for better wages and living conditions for Mexican Americans who were farmworkers in Central California. Emphasizing non-violent protest, he organized a 1968 boycott of California grapes and fasted for 36 days to bring attention to his cause.

As the co-founder of the United Farm Workers, he is credited with organizing one of the most powerful labor movements in the state. After his death, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. California streets and neighborhoods were renamed in his honor, with Cesar Chavez Day becoming a recognized annual holiday in the Golden State. He is one of only three figures whose birthday is celebrated as a state holiday in California, including Martin Luther King and George Washington.

Murals of his visage dot elementary schools across the state, especially in large immigrant centers and Central Valley farming communities.

Cesar Chavez Avenue runs through the heart of downtown Los Angeles (Paige Austin/Patch). Murals of the late labor leader such as this one at Willmore Elementary in Westminster, California decorate schools across the Golden State (Paige Austin/Patch).