PEF President Wayne Spence issued the following statement on Oct. 28, 2026, following the death of labor leader Dolores Huerta:
“PEF joins the entire Labor Movement in mourning the loss of legendary union leader Dolores Huerta. A tireless champion for working men and women, Huerta embodied the essence of unionism. She realized at a young age that collective action was required to affect change and devoted her career to organizing and lifting up the working class — starting with migrant farmworkers in 1962. I and the rest of PEF’s delegates at this summer’s AFT Convention got a chance to thank her in person for paving the way for organized labor. Our thoughts are with her family as they celebrate her remarkable life.”