Ceasar Chavez Day?! A legal Holiday! I can't believe this!

Before every legal holiday, we put up a sign in front of the circulation desk notifying our patrons of the upcoming day off. Being my second year as Bookstamper, I was hoping this year would be different. It hasn't been. I get to hear/see (mostly old White people) in sheer disbelief that Ceasar Chavez (I just call him Julio) have a legal holiday honoring him. So blatant. So pure. If you have hate in your heart, let it out! Today, an elderly White man just couldn't seem to control his emotions over Julio...letting every in the library know of his disgust. Your friendly neighborhood (soon-to-be) ex-Bookstamper simply looked at the man, smiled and said, yes.

Ceasar Chavez Day, which honors the legendary farm worker/civil rights leader, only gained legal holiday status a couple years ago. Every state in the union has legal holidays which are specific to their state. It is the only state holiday observed in California.

Here is an editorial against CC Day from the Bakersfield Californian:

Cut two state holidays

PUBLISHED 4-25-2005

State workers have a ho-ho lot of holidays. And Gov. Schwarzenegger rightly says it’s too many.

With California awash in red ink, the cost-cutting governor suggests state workers give up two of their 14 holidays. The move would save $17.6 million and put state government in line with most other government agencies and businesses.

On average, businesses give workers 11 paid holidays; city and county government employees have 12 days off; and federal employees have 10.

But legislators and agreeable governors have bowed to the wishes of public employee unions, granting an excessive number of state paid holidays. The most recent “gift” was the Cesar Chavez holiday, which leaves farmworkers toiling in the fields, while state workers get to rest.

California’s 200,000 state employees enjoy 13 official holidays and one floating paid personal day off. In addition to salary costs, the state must pay overtime to “essential” employees, such as California Highway Patrol officers, who are required to work on holidays — about $10 million for each holiday.

Which two holidays will be axed will be decided through collective bargaining. About half of the state employees’ contracts have or will expire this year, with the rest expire in 2006.

Now is the time to bring paid state holidays — and their costs — in line.

Since the issue was first debated in the California legislature, such arguments were/continue to be prevalent. This is kinda like adding North Korea in the Axis of Evil...you can't just come out against Julio alone--people would accuse you of all sorts of nefarious things. But you notice how only CC Day was mentioned by name.

Federal employees enjoy 10 legal holidays, here they are (2007):

Monday, January 1 New Year's Day

Monday, January 15 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, February 19 Washington’s Birthday

Monday, May 28 Memorial Day

Wednesday, July 4 Independence Day

Monday, September 3 Labor Day

Monday, October 8 Columbus Day

Monday, November 12 Veterans Day

Thursday, November 22 Thanksgiving Day

Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day

California government employees get an extra 2 days, which are:

Monday, March 26th Ceasar Chavez

Friday, November 23 Day after Thanksgiving

So we get our state holiday and the day after Thanksgiving...the day after giving thanks! Who doesn't have that day off?! (Besides retail ;)

So lets break this down. Almost everyone gets 2 weeks off (legal holidays--excluding weekends) + annual vacation (avg. 2 weeks) + weekends (96 days) = 116 days off a year! + paid sick leave. Americans sure are lazy! We get nearly a third (32%) of the year off! (Yes, yes, I know some of you retail/service sector folks work weekends but you still don't work more than 40hrs a week!).

School kids enjoy even more--in addition to the federal legal holidays and extended winter/spring/summer breaks, the Los Angeles Unified School District for example even gives students a day off for a Jewish holiday, not to mention Pupil Free Days and Unassigned Days (whatever those are). Teachers get way too much time off!

Let's not forget those pesky Bankers/Tellers! They get all these holidays off as well!

Congressmen/Senators/other elected officials work like 4 months out of the year!

Yet there continues to be this perception among some folks that government employees above all, get all the perks. That they have it good. This my friends is nonsencicalization to the extreme. The perks, few as they are--simply reflect the fact that government employees by and large get lousy pay--even for jobs that carry tremendous responsibility...oh, like being a city planner. Or a teacher!

I just can't find anything wrong with honoring the most important Latino in the history of the country. And in a state like ours, whose agriculture feeds much of the country...plus we get the day off ;)

They even gave him his own stamp! The horror! And it works in 50 states!

Ceasar Chavez Day
March, 30th 2007

Public Libraries are closed. The branch re-opens @ 12:00 Tuesday. The book drops are always open.

Links:

Wikipedia's Ceasar Chavez
PBS Documentary: The Fight In The Fields
United Farm Workers (UFW)

Wikipedia's list of Public Holidays here.

P.S. I can't wait for Sadie Hawkins Day! Speak to me someone...just speak to me now.