U.S. Navy Considers Naming Ship After Cesar Chavez

American labor leader Cesar Chavez (1927 - 1993) smiles while standing in front of a wooden wall, 1950s. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (2003 Getty Images)

César Chávez, the famed Mexican-American labor leader, may be having a U.S. Navy ship named in his honor.

The Navy is considering naming a cargo ship, currently under construction, after the famed farmworker activist.

James Gill, a spokesman for General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, said Monday the company suggested the name to honor its mostly Hispanic work force and the mostly Hispanic neighborhood, Barrio Logan, where the boat builder is located.

The other 13 cargo ships built by NASSCO for the Navy have been named after such notable Americans as explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and famed aviator Amelia Earhart.

Chávez would be the first Mexican-American in that group. He is credited with helping to secure a U.S. law that recognized farmworkers' rights to organize unions and engage in collective bargaining.

Chávez died in 1993 at the age of 66.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.