Filipinos’ Pride on Rights of Workers

September month does not only regales about its beauty and romantic atmosphere, but its significance and epitome is its effect and impact in honoring workers and the labor movement, both past and present, in this beloved country that embraces democracy — workers’ rights and advocacies with welcoming/comfortable workplace situations.

Labor Day has been a national holiday since 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed the law that Congress passed designating the first Monday in September a holiday for workers. Labor unions pressed and activists sacrificed to gain recognition of both the contributions and the mistreatment of workers at the time.

Filipinos, as one of the earlier migrant workers in the U.S., have significant contributions about the Labor issue. From Filipino-American labor leader Larry Itliong who will be recognized and honored as the late hero in California, among the grape-picking migrants.

Itliong was the one who led Cesar Chavez to the picket lines that cemented Chavez’ place in the history books. His tremendous leadership with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee [AWOC] with the Delano Grape Strike of 1965, started the farm labor movement in this country. Then California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill over the summer to establish Itliong’s birthday, Oct. 25, as Larry Itliong Day. He died in 1977 of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, he would have been 102.

As part of Filipino American Heritage Month, Governor Newsom issued a proclamation declaring October 25 “Larry Itliong Day” in honor of the Filipino American labor leader. Itliong Vera Cruz Middle School in Union City is the first to be named after Larry Itliong in the country.

Philippines’ then-President Rodrigo Duterte on Labor Day saluted Filipino workers for their “great passion, integrity and professionalism” in everything that they do, whether locally or overseas. He reaffirmed “the government’s commitment to uphold the dignity of labor by safeguarding the rights of our workers through the humanization of laws and the equalization of social forces.”

Anonymous Editorialist