Officially, the three-week pilgrimage is aimed at pressuring Gov. Gavin Newsom into signing a bill that would allow farmworkers a choice, including vote-by-mail, in how elections are held in unionization drives. But the purpose is broader: to signify that United Farm Workers is emboldened despite decades of diminishing membership. 

The new law is crucial for protecting farmworkers, who are often undocumented and at risk of not just being fired but also deported if they displease their bosses by trying to join a union. The law is also deeply symbolic: It will show that California has the will to protect all its workers, even its most vulnerable. 

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