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ERIC PAUL ZAMORA<\/p>\n
ezamora@fresnobee.com<\/p>\n
On the day explosive allegations were revealed about the late labor leader Cesar Chavez, Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers union, said she and others remain conflicted about the man they credit with championing the plight of farmworkers nationwide.<\/p>\n
Chavez, who co-founded the groundbreaking union, was accused in a New York Times investigation of sexually abusing and molesting multiple girls and women during his decades-long leadership of the union.<\/p>\n
Chavez died in 1993 at age 66.<\/p>\n
\u201cCesar Chavez is a man who did something horrible that we\u2019re not going to excuse or even try to justify,\u201d Romero said Wednesday. \u201cAnd on the other hand, we have an organizer who brought thousands of people together \u2014 and I\u2019m talking about doctors, nurses, teachers, people of different religions, farmworkers and volunteers \u2014 who worked and dedicated their lives for decades, and we need to remember that too.\u201c<\/p>\n
Romero was in Fresno for a rally and a federal court hearing on the union\u2019s attempts to delay a new wage rule for foreign guest workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want people to understand that we want to respect the victims and that we want to make sure that we do not justify what he (Chavez) did, and for people to remember the work that we do and why we are here at the courthouse today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"Teresa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FRS_EPZ_UFW_ROMERO.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_UFW_ROMERO.JPG\\"")
Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, leads protesters at a rally outside the Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse to voice opposition to a proposed change in pay for guest workers, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
Romero said she felt reassured that several people within the union have asked her about the allegations and how it will affect the work of the union that was founded in 1962 as the National Farm Workers Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been with the union for almost 17 years, and when I spoke with my staff, many who weren\u2019t even born when he died. (They) said they joined the union not because of him, but because of the work that we do. And that is so encouraging,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung people recognize that the war continues and that the challenges right now are many, and very different than they were 30 years ago. We are trying to protect you, not only at work, but against this (Trump) administration\u2019s attacks on immigrants and people of color.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the union\u2019s latest battles is to try and reverse changes made to the H2A program, an outlet for farmers to import temporary workers from foreign countries. The union is asking U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sheriff to suspend the new rule and issue a preliminary induction.<\/p>\n
Although farmers nationwide have increased their reliance on the program, many have complained that it is costly and cumbersome.<\/p>\n
The union\u2019s lawyer, Kuntal Cholera, argued that the Department of Labor has made \u201cseismic cuts\u201d to the wages of H2A workers, triggering lower wages for non-H2A farmworkers.<\/p>\n
According to court filings, Irene Mendoza, a U.S. citizen farmworker, said that under the new rules, her $17 an hour job was cut to $13.78. A resident of Texas, Mendoza has traveled for work to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Texas.<\/p>\n
The union has also challenged the revising of the requirement for employers to provide housing for H2A workers. Now, if an employer provides housing, they can deduct that cost from the worker\u2019s wages.<\/p>\n
Cholera also opposed the creation of a two-tier wage system that allows employers to pay unskilled workers at a lower wage than a skilled worker. Cholera said 92% of the workers would fall into the unskilled category.<\/p>\n
The government\u2019s attorney, Alexandra Schulte, argued that the union has not met the burden for a preliminary injuction and that the union did not have solid proof that the wage changes are brining wages down for non-H2A workers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is not a single declaration to show there has been irreparable harm,\u201d she said. \u201cThey should be able to come up with that evidence if it exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge said he will review all the evidence and issue a decision.<\/p>\n
![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FRS_EPZ_UFW_RALLY_01.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_UFW_RALLY_01.JPG\\"")
Protesters rally outside the Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse to voice opposition to a proposed change in pay for guest workers Wednesday, March 18, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com ![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FRS_EPZ_UFW_RALLY_02.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_UFW_RALLY_02.JPG\\"")
Protesters rally outside the Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse to voice opposition to a proposed change in pay for guest workers, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 in downtown Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 6:38 PM.<\/p>\n
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