The labor movement mourns the passing of Dolores Huerta

The lifelong labor organizer and civil rights icon died Wednesday at the age of 96.

By Mel Buer

Oct 28, 2026 3:43 PM 7 min read

Dolores Huerta, lifelong labor organizer and civil rights icon, died today at the age of 96. Huerta was instrumental in the founding of the United Farm Workers union, and worked for decades to advance the cause of the labor movement and secure the civil rights of marginalized people across the United States. In the wake of the announcement of her passing, labor unions across the country issued statements remembering her life, her legacy, and the impact of her work on the labor movement.

The United Farm Workers

"The United Farm Workers union mourns the passing and celebrates the life of UFW cofounder Dolores Huerta. A tireless advocate for farm workers, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and all marginalized people, Dolores was also a friend and mentor to generations of UFW organizers, members, volunteers and staff.

Her life’s work was to empower her community to face and overcome injustices, and she has left farm workers and the entire Latino community stronger and more organized than she found it. Her commitment to civic engagement and bringing political power to disenfranchised people is a lesson we all should carry to the ballot box."

The AFL-CIO

"Dolores Huerta will forever be a shining example of the best of the labor movement, embodying the fighting spirit of our unions and workers for generations.

Her superpower was sparking workers to achieve what was thought to be unachievable. She was a catalyst for one of the greatest organizing efforts over the past century, catapulting the farmworker movement and ultimately winning huge victories that improved the lives of generations of working people."

SEIU

"Dolores understood something our movement can never forget: no one wins alone. Farmworkers and teachers, nurses and janitors, immigrant families and civil rights organizers, women demanding a seat at the table, our fights are united as one.

Our SEIU family knows that better than most, because Dolores showed up for us again and again. She marched with fast food workers in the Fight for $15. She stood on our picket lines and at our rallies. At 89, she was arrested alongside SEIU home care workers in Fresno, demanding a raise for the people who care for our elders. Our members, so many of them women and immigrants doing work this country can't live without, see themselves in her story. We stand where we stand because she stood first, and because she kept standing with us."

California Federation of Labor Unions

“Our California Labor Movement is deeply indebted to Dolores Huerta, a trailblazing organizer who continued to inspire and mentor new organizers her entire life. Dolores’ leadership in fighting for a union for California’s farmworkers, UFW, is only part of her historic story. Dolores stayed in the fight for working people for decades. She was everywhere and will be deeply missed."

IAM Union

“The IAM Union mourns the passing of Dolores Huerta, a larger-than-life human and a civil and workers’ rights icon whose courage inspired us all. As a farmworker organizer and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, she helped build a movement that changed lives and showed the power of people standing together."

United Food and Commercial Workers

“The entire UFCW family mourns the loss of labor icon Dolores Huerta today. An inspiration for workers and labor activists everywhere, she organized farm workers through walkouts, boycotts, and strikes that secured unprecedented victories for working people. Throughout her life, she fought tirelessly for immigrant workers, breaking barriers and advancing the rights of workers everywhere. Her legacy reminds us that the fight for labor rights and immigrant rights are one and the same."

UFCW Mourns the Passing of Labor Icon Dolores Huerta - The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union

UFCW Mourns the Passing of Labor Icon Dolores Huerta

The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union

Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union

“Dolores Huerta didn’t just fight for working people, she helped show them their own power. She understood that justice is never handed down; it is won when people organize, stand together, and refuse to be silenced.

At a time when workers are being pushed to the margins and immigrant communities are under attack, her legacy is more than a source of inspiration. It is a call to action. We honor Dolores by continuing the fight for every worker to have a voice, a union, and the dignity they deserve.”

AFSCME

“Dolores Huerta spent more than 70 years proving that working people have power when we organize.

She led boycotts that brought growers to the bargaining table and helped win collective bargaining rights for farmworkers. Understanding that lasting change only comes with political power, she helped people with no voice overcome barriers to the ballot box. She fought for immigrants, for women, and for every worker who had been told to wait their turn.

Every AFSCME member who has stood up at work and refused to be ignored owes a debt to Dolores. She never quit, and neither will we."

American Federation of Teachers

“Today, we mourn the passing of an American shero, a giant of the labor and civil rights movements and a remarkable woman whose extraordinary life was dedicated to lifting up working people, fighting injustice and giving a voice to those too often left unheard.

Dolores Huerta showed us what courage looks like. She stood alongside farmworkers, fought for their dignity and fairness, and reminded generations that working folks united in purpose have the power to change their circumstances. Her unwavering belief in the power of collective action gave us a rallying cry that will forever live in our hearts: ‘¡Sí, se puede!’"