FARMWORKERS DAY

104th Regular Session Introduced by Omar Aquino and 13 co-sponsors

Designates March 31, 2026 as Farmworkers Day to recognize farmworkers’ contributions and advocate for dignity, safety, fair treatment, and organizing rights in Illinois.

Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mary Edly-Allen

Summary: Senate Resolution SR0688 (104th General Assembly) – Farmworkers Day

Purpose and intent

Designates a special day to honor farmworkers in Illinois and recognize their essential contributions to the state’s food system and economy.

Acknowledges the historical struggles and collective actions of farmworkers, including multiethnic coalitions and the leadership of immigrant, Latino, Mexican, Filipino, and other communities.

Emphasizes the importance of dignity, safety, fair treatment, and protections for workers who sustain the agricultural sector.

Key provisions

Official designation of a specific day: March 31, 2026, as “Farmworkers Day” in the State of Illinois.

Formal recognition of the farmworker movement’s multiracial, intergenerational coalition and its role in advancing labor rights, better wages, safer working conditions, pesticide protections, and the right to organize and bargain collectively.

Statements praising the sacrifices and courage of farmworkers past and present, and committing to continued advocacy for workers’ rights in Illinois.

Provisions and scope

This is a commemorative Senate Resolution, not a law creating new regulatory or funding programs.

The resolution acknowledges historical figures and broad themes of labor justice; it does not establish programs, grant funding, or enforceable mandates.

Who/what is affected

Farmworkers and the broader Illinois labor and agricultural communities are the beneficiaries in terms of recognition and awareness.

The resolution explicitly states Illinois’s commitment to protecting farmworkers’ dignity, safety, and rights, but it does not impose new regulatory requirements on employers or agencies.

Procedural and timeline aspects

The bill was filed and referred in March 2026, with multiple co-sponsors added in March and June 2026.

The resolution was adopted on March 25, 2026, and has since accumulated several co-sponsors.

Designation applies to March 31, 2026 (Farmworkers Day) and serves as a statewide intentional recognition.

Notable contextual points

The resolution emphasizes a historical, cross-cultural movement for farmworker rights, highlighting roles of Filipino, Mexican, Latino, and other communities, as well as women and children, in organizing and advocacy.

While commemorative in nature, it aligns with ongoing concerns about working conditions, wages, pesticide protections, and the right to organize within the farmworking sector.

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