At the 2025 biennial Oregon AFL-CIO Convention, delegates from unions across the state voted unanimously to endorse a boycott of Windmill Farms' mushroom products. The move comes in support of United Farm Workers (UFW) members who have been seeking union recognition for more than three years at the Sunnyside, Washington farm.
Farm workers are excluded from federal labor law protections such as the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This has left UFW members dependent on public pressure to push for recognition.
Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor stated, "The Oregon Labor Movement will always stand in solidarity with farm workers facing exploitation and intimidation from employers who prioritize corporate greed over fair and safe working conditions. By endorsing a boycott of Windmill Farms' mushroom products, we're imploring working-class Oregonians to use their power by withholding support to influence Windmill Farms to do the right thing and recognize their employees' union."
The Oregon AFL-CIO represents more than 300,000 workers across 300 unions in the state. The resolution calls for a boycott until Windmill Farms agrees to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the UFW.
UFW President Teresa Romero commented, "For years, the farm workers at Windmill Mushroom Farm have had one demand: a union. In a just world, a simple majority of the workers wanting a union would be enough to make it happen. Yet because of farm workers' exclusion from basic labor laws, we are forced to rely on public boycotts to pressure Windmill Farms into doing the right thing. Our boycott strategy would not be possible without the solidarity of the entire labor movement."
Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Oregon's farm worker union, is also supporting the boycott. PCUN Executive Director Reyna Lopez said, "The United Farm Workers' fight is our fight too. PCUN is standing in solidarity with these courageous workers who are simply asking for recognition and respect. We're thankful to have a partner like the Oregon AFL-CIO to join us in our fight."
Windmill Farms distributes its mushroom products through grocery chains across the Pacific Northwest, including Safeway, where they are sold under the label of Sunnyside, Washington.
Source: Oregon AFL-CIO