California Farmworkers Spend Cesar Chavez Day In Blazing Sun

SAN MARTIN (CBS SF) -- Farmworkers tackled a 40-acre garlic field near San Martin with long-handled hoes.

They walked row after row under a blazing sun, cutting out the weeds so the garlic plants can flourish.

"It's back-breaking work and you need a lot of stamina" said Farmworker Michael Martinez, who drove in from Fresno Thursday morning.

This is how farmworkers spent Cesar Chavez Day, a state holiday in California commemorating the man who dedicated his life to improving wages and working conditions for farmworkers.  In Chavez' second home town of San Jose, the farmworkers' flag flies in front of City Hall.

Municipal employees had the day off.  Courts, county offices, state offices and schools were also closed.

But farmworkers didn't get the day off.

"People are out here for the money, sir," Martinez explained. "It's an obligation we have. No matter what holiday it is, we're still going to be out here in the sun doing our thing."

But thanks to Chavez, many of their working conditions have improved.  Workers now have clean restrooms in the field, soap and water, scheduled breaks, shaded lunch areas, drinking water and long-handled hoes. Chavez helped outlaw the short handled hoe in the 1960s, which forced workers to stoop over while they worked.

"If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be having this break right now. We wouldn't have these delicious lunches that we were given," Martinez said.

A San Jose group, Amigos de Cesar Chavez, prepared and delivered sack lunches to farmworkers in the fields this morning.

"It's about recognizing the work Cesar Chavez did for farmworkers, but more it's about teaching my kids to appreciate the work farmworkers do," said Monica Gomez, who organized the group 13 years ago.

She said it's part of Chavez' legacy of service to others.

The garlic harvested by the workers in San Martin will end up on dinner plates across America and around the world. Workers say before Chavez little thought was given to farmworkers contributions. Now they hope on at least this one day, people will think about the workers that help put food on the table.