Albert Joseph Medrano Rojas

Albert Joseph Medrano Rojas (Al Rojas), 82, of Sacramento California, passed away on March 20, 2021, surrounded by Elena Rojas, daughter Debra Rojas, Albert Rojas Jr., Desiree Rojas, Shalom Rojas, his grandchildren, great grandchildren, Son’s in Law, and his God Daughter at his side.   

Al was born in Tulare, California in 1938, to Rafael and Gabriela Rojas. He was raised on the then Famous “Tagus Ranch” near Tulare California; the world’s largest Peach Ranch.

Al Rojas tirelessly devoted his life to fighting for worker's rights, civil rights and human rights. He was a powerful voice for the voiceless for over half a century. His values were deeply rooted in justice and righteousness. He was an activist, a leader, an icon and legend, a mentor to so many, a father, a brother, and a servant committed to building a more just world.

Al Rojas worked as a Farm Worker most of his childhood and early adult life. He went to School in Visalia, California, and after graduating from High School he began to work as a farm worker and migrated to the coastal Oxnard California region working in the vegetable row crop industry.

It was in 1964 Al Rojas became involved in organizing farm workers while forming the Citizens Against Poverty Organization (CAP) a community organization independent workers credit union in Oxnard, California; in the Colonia. In 1965 Al Rojas and other workers from the region founded the United Farm Workers Independent Union (UFW) - IBT and became heavily involved in organizing farm workers of the Oxnard and Southern Coastal region.

Al Rojas joined in support of the Delano Grape Strike headed by the Agricultural Workers Organizing committee (AWOC) and the National Farm workers Association (NFWA).  In 1966, the United Farm Workers Independent Union (UFW-IBT) merged, along with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee-AFL-CIO (AWOC), and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) to form the United Farm Workers of America –AFL-CIO (UFWA AFL-CIO) labor union.  Al Rojas went on to become a tireless leader in the now United Farm Workers of America labor union, and led strikes throughout California and was the Director of the Western Pennsylvania Grape Boycott from 1968-1970, with his family.

Al Rojas left the United Farm Workers labor union and went to work for the State of California Conservation Corps and later transferred to work with the California State Department of Industrial Relations as a Deputy Labor Commissioner Hearing Officer for 14 years, ending his career as an Apprenticeship Consultant for 14 years with the Department of Industrial Relations.

Throughout Al Rojas’ state government service, Al Rojas was involved in the State Workers Union, SEIU Local 1000, and was elected as President of his Union District Labor Council representing rank-and-file SEIU members; well over 3,000 members.  During the same time frame, from 1989 to 1992 Al Rojas formed the North Americans for Democracy in Mexico organization (NADM).  NADM was one of first organizations to send foreign observers in the observation of elections in Mexico; per invitation of Mexican ex-presidential candidate Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, son of former President of Mexico, Lázaro Cárdenas (1934).  In 1994, Al Rojas co-founded the Zapatista Solidarity Coalition with others in effort to bring awareness of the Zapatista indigenous movement having led numerous delegations to participate in encounters in Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, during 1999, Al Rojas led numerous SEIU Local 1000 Labor delegations to Mexico to march in the May 1^st – International Workers Day march, and participate in the largest May Day march in the Western hemisphere of 450,000 workers, in effort to build bi-national unity between both independent labor union movements between the US and Mexico.

In 1996 through 2000, Al Rojas was instrumental with the lobbying of the Mexican congress in allowing Mexicans living abroad the right to the absentee ballot - the right to vote abroad.  In the year 2000, the Mexican congress signed a historic bill for the very first time allowing Mexican citizens the right to vote abroad by absentee ballot. 

In 2006, Al Rojas worked very closely with the Oaxaca Teachers Union Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educacion (SNTE-CNTE-SCC 22) of Mexico during the 2006 brutal teachers strike that resulted in thousands of teachers beaten, tortured, and or arrested, in addition to 23 teachers and supporters were assassinated.  In seeking support for the Oaxaca Teachers Union, Al Rojas organized a statewide California tour inviting the leadership of the Oaxaca Teachers Union to speak regarding the brutal repression of the Mexican Federal, State, and local military and police government forces.  

As of the last 12 years, Al Rojas sits on the board of the Sacramento Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (AFL-CIO) fighting for racist policies that affect Yolo and Sacramento county residents, and founder of the Annual Cesar Chavez, and May Day International Workers Day marches in Sacramento, California.   Al Rojas continues his work involvement between US and Mexico in fight of human rights, workers’ rights, democracy, and social justice. 

Al Rojas final campaign was against Driscoll’s the world’s largest transnational berries corporation in support of Jornaleras y Jornaleros (agricultural workers) in the Valley of San Quintin Baja California, where majority of the workers are indigenous people from Oaxaca for example Sapoteco, Mizxteco, and Trigui. Driscolls is estimated to pay agricultural workers $6 dollars a day for over 13 hous of labor. Jornaleras and Jornaleros from San Quintin suffer the consequences created by the US transnational corporations and the new United States – Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA) that exploit the land and workers. He fought for labor rights for the most oppressed and vulnerable campesino workers in San Quintin to have a fair wage, a right to have an independent union ran by rank and file, free of no sexual harassment, no pesticides and no slave labor, no child labor, and to live a life in dignity for all workers. Al Rojas believed that the land belongs to the workers that worked it. We urge you to continue the struggle by boycotting Driscoll’s and Andrew Williamson berries.

In his honor, you may make a contribution to:

LCLAA Sacramento Chapter. 

P.O. Box 4388

Davis, California 95616

Fed. ID#: 41-2151778

“HASTA LA VICTORIA” … “SI SE PUEDE” … “LA LUCHA SIGUE”