A New York Times report published Wednesday on César Chávez, the iconic labor hero who co-founded the United Farm Workers union in 1966, has roiled union leadership and, in fact, the entire labor world as the outlet alleges that he committed sex crimes against underage girls during his rise to power.
Some of the organizations tied to Chávez and the labor movement had been given the heads up that the piece was coming and had already been scrambling to deal with the fallout.
The allegations are disturbing:
The newspaper interviewed two woman who said they were sexually abused by Chavez — one repeatedly — when they were children.
"Both women have struggled with depression, panic attacks and substance abuse in the years since. They maintained their silence for decades, fearing speaking out would tarnish Mr. Chavez’s legacy, but decided in recent months, after being approached by reporters, that their stories also counted," the paper reported.
Huerta told the paper she was raped by Chavez in 1966.
Following the revelations, Chávez’s ally and also a co-founder of the UFW, Dolores Huerta, issued this heartrending statement:
New:
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) March 18, 2026
Dolores Huerta writes lengthy statement following @nytimes investigation into Cesar Chavez.
Huerta says she had sexual encounters with Chavez resulting in 2 children.
“I have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farm worker movement…” pic.twitter.com/hdL5KnhSi9
The secrets went dark and deep, Huerta says:
Huerta said she experienced two separate sexual encounters with Chavez. The first time she was, "manipulated and pressured into having sex with him," she said, and felt she couldn't say anything because he was her boss and the leader "of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to."
"The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped," her statement said. "I had experienced abuse and sexual violence before, and I convinced myself these were incidents that I had to endure alone and in secret."
Huerta became pregnant from both sexual encounters and later arranged for the children to be raised by other families.
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In all, the NYT alleges that Chávez had four children out of wedlock with three women and “that there had been ‘whispers within the movement’ for decades about his conduct.”
The UFW finds itself in an incredibly awkward position, to put it mildly, and they are quickly distancing themselves from the late leader’s name as they try to figure out what to do:
From @UFWupdates:
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) March 18, 2026
“The allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps… The United Farm Workers will not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day activities.”
Full statement:https://t.co/04QkNlJ8K0
Their statement said they had not heard the allegations before but were taking them seriously (emphasis theirs):
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…
We have not received any direct reports, and we do not have any firsthand knowledge of these allegations [ “involving abuse of young women or minors”] … 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.
The United Farm Workers will not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day [March 31] activities.
Although many believe Chávez supported illegal immigration and used his name to justify it, he, in fact, staunchly opposed it. He believed illegal aliens, whom he sometimes called "wetbacks," were used by growers to break strikes and bring down wages. His stance softened later in his career, but in the '60 and '70s, he wanted nothing to do with it.
What the continuing fallout will do to his legacy and to the many buildings and schools named after him remains to be seen. This, however, isn’t ageing well:
Today, on César Chávez Day, we remember his noble efforts to organize the United Farm Workers movement in their fight for the rights of those who harvest our food.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) March 31, 2025
His legacy lives on in every fiber of our state's agricultural fabric, ensuring equal protections for all workers. pic.twitter.com/TlPNUeQ1sz
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