Senator Ortiz reads proclamation remembering 16 farmworkers killed in 1959, urges continued workplace safety efforts
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Summary
Senator Analise Ortiz read a legislative proclamation on the Arizona Senate floor recognizing the “Glendale 16,” the 16 farmworkers who died in a 1959 bus fire, and called for ongoing efforts to improve worker safety; the names of the victims were read and a moment of silence observed.
Senator Analise Ortiz read a legislative proclamation on the Arizona State Senate floor on June 17 recognizing June 8 as a day of remembrance for the “Glendale 16,” 16 farmworkers who died in a 1959 vehicle fire, and urged continued efforts to improve workplace safety.
Ortiz said the victims included both well-known community members and workers buried in unmarked graves and read the full list of names included in the proclamation. “Their name shall not be forgotten because they and all workers impacted by unsafe working conditions deserve to have their memory honored,” Ortiz said as she asked the chamber for a moment of silence.
The proclamation recounted that on June 8, 1959, a makeshift bus converted from a truck was transporting 48 field workers when it veered off the road, struck a cottonwood tree and caught fire, trapping many inside and killing 16 men. The proclamation said more than 1,200 mourners attended the burials at Glendale Memorial Park Cemetery and credited the tragedy with prompting changes in labor safety regulations.
After reading the proclamation, Ortiz introduced Rory Goree, a constituent of Legislative District 24 and an activist who, with his wife Kathy Gure, vice president of the Glendale Historical Society, brought the history to Ortiz’s attention. Ortiz thanked Goree and Gure for their advocacy in ensuring the lives of the 16 are remembered.
No formal vote or legislative action was recorded in the transcript related to the proclamation; the reading and the moment of silence were ceremonial and for remembrance.