11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 in Calexico
Honoring slain Imperial Valley lettuce striker 37 years after he became a martyr for the UFW
UFW Pres. Arturo Rodriguez, Paul Chavez, Cesar’s son, speak as union health plan office is dedicated to Rufino Contreras
Calexico, Calif.—On Feb. 10, 1979, the 22nd day of a bitter strike, Rufino Contreras, 28, and a few fellow strikers walked into an Imperial Valley lettuce field owned by Mario Saikhon to try to speak with imported strikebreakers. Three foremen opened fire. Rufino fell face down in a muddy row. Continuing gunfire prevented Rufino’s father and brother and other strikers from aiding him. Sheriff’s deputies arrived later and called an ambulance. Rufino died in the hospital.
Rufino was off the picket line for several days with his wife, Rosa Contreras, in the hospital after she was badly burned in an accident. Rufino proudly showed his friends papers that said the Robert F. Kennedy Plan—the union’s health program—was covering health care for his wife. Rufino said he was proud to be a good union member, which is why he returned to the picket line that day.
The thousands—including Gov. Jerry Brown—who attended his funeral mass at El Hoyo in Calexico near the U.S.-Mexico border fence will never forget Rufino’s son, Julio Cesar, then 5, hugging his mother, Rosa, and crying, “Mi papa, mi papa, mi papa.”
On Feb. 11, 2016, 37 years and one day after Rufino Contreras was slain, the Robert F. Kennedy Medical Plan will dedicate its Calexico facility as the Rufino Contreras Memorial Office. The 11:30 a.m. ceremony will be attended by Rufino’s widow, Rosa, his two grown children, Julio Cesar and Nancy Berenice; United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez; Paul Chavez, son of Cesar Chavez and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation; health and pension plan Administrator Patrick Pine; local farm workers under union contract; UFW pensioners; doctors and other health professionals who care for UFW members on both sides of the border; and county supervisors, mayors and city councilmembers from the Imperial Valley. The new sign will be covered and unveiled during the ceremony.
The renamed Calexico office serves UFW members and their dependents using the health plan plus retirees receiving benefits under the union’s Juan De La Cruz Pension Plan, and coordinates with health care providers serving recipients in the U.S. and Mexico.
Who: Members of the Contreras family; UFW President Arturo Rodriguez; Paul Chavez, Cesar Chavez’s son; health and pension plan Administrator Patrick J. Pine; UFW members and pensioners; local elected officials.
What: Dedicating the Rufino Contreras Memorial Office.
When: 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016.
Where: 313 West Second St., Calexico 92231.
For background and photos, see: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20073110,00.html and http://www.ufw.org/_page.php?menu=research&inc=history/11.html
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