Welcome to our e-newsletter about farm worker justice in the Northwest and nationally. Your advocacy and support is needed and is making a difference! Contact us.
We are a faith-based farm worker solidarity organization working for justice with the local farm worker community in the Northwest
Breaking: Mushroom Workers in Sunnyside WA Need Your Support!
Mushroom workers at Ostrom Mushroom Farm in Sunnyside WA are demanding a workplace free from threats, excessive pressure, harassment and retaliation.
The workers have democratically elected a committee to represent them. Workers held a general meeting last night and passed a resolution to be represented by the United Farm Workers.
Last week, on June 22nd, workers and community members marched to the company to deliver a petition signed by over 200 workers demanding fair pay, safe working conditions, equal opportunities, and respect.
Jose Martinez has worked for Ostrom for more than 2 years. He was elected to the worker committee in May and led the worker march to deliver the petition last week. "We are fighting for a voice at work. We have come together to demand better working conditions. We will not stop fighting. We are just getting started, we demand to be treated like human beings."
Ostrom Mushroom Farm workers want the company to know that people nationally are paying attention to this issue. Stand with them in solidarity. Sign their petition today.
Advocates Denounce Industry Lawsuit to Stop Oregon Heat and Smoke Protections
Oregon's new OSHA rules for working in heat and smoke had not even taken effect (smoke rules are effective today, July 1) when a lawsuit was filed against them. Farm Worker Ministry Northwest joins with our farm worker labor union partner PCUN and theNorthwest Workers’ Justice Project and the Oregon Environmental Council and others in the coalition who are advocating for the rules to stay in place.
Press release from the coaliion June 23, 2022:
Advocates Denounce Industry Lawsuit to Stop Oregon Heat and Smoke Protections; Heat Rule Already in Effect with Smoke Rule to Follow on July 1
Following the news that business industry groups – Oregon Manufacturers and Commerce, Associated Oregon Loggers Inc. and the Oregon Forest Industries Council – have filed legal action in U.S. District Court in Medford to stop new Oregon OSHA rules from protecting frontline workers from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, a coalition of climate and environmental justice, labor, and public health advocates have the following responses:
“We’re frustrated to see corporate lobbyists and lawyers attempt to delay the recently adopted heat and smoke standards from going into effect, right as summer heats up. For years, workers have been advocating for common-sense protections such as access to cool water, shaded rest areas, and additional breaks in high heat temperatures. Recent wildfires further demonstrate the need for state guidance on how to navigate the workplace in smoky conditions to limit a worker’s exposure to unhealthy air quality. These rules are life-saving,” said Reyna Lopez, Executive Director and President of PCUN, Oregon’s Farmworker Union. “Our team will continue to inform workers about how they can protect themselves in the event of high heat or wildfire smoke.” Read more
An Invitation to Deepen Your Faith and Commitment to Farm Workers
Do you have a heart for farm workers and a passion to act from your faith to make a difference in their lives? Farm Worker Ministry Northwest invites you to consider becoming part of our volunteer board of directors.
Farm Worker Ministry Northwest is a faith-based farm worker solidarity organization which has been supporting local and national farm workers and their labor unions to achieve better farm worker pay and working conditions for over 35 years.
Committed to justice and the empowerment of farm workers, Farm Worker Ministry Northwest educates, equips and mobilizes faith communities and individuals to stand with farm workers organizing in their workplace. We are organized in geographic clusters in Washington and Oregon.
We act at the request of our farm worker partners which include:
Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) is Oregon’s farm worker labor union. PCUN has been advocating for farm workers for over 40 years and has been the founder of many other organizations that have worked to improve the lives of farmworkers through leadership training and housing. http://www.pcun.org/
United Farm Workers of America (UFW), begun in the early 1960s by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other organizers, is the nation’s first enduring and largest farm workers’ union. http://ufw.org/
Familias Unidas por la Justicia labor union of indigenous workers in the berry fields of Northwestern Washington received their first union contract in 2017 with the Sakuma Bros. Berry Farm. Since then, they have stood in solidarity with many other farm workers and champion the rights of farm workers nationally and internationally. http://familiasunidasjusticia.org/en/home/
Western Farm Workers Association is a voluntary association of farm and other low-wage workers who self-organize to advocate for better living and working conditions in Washington County, Oregon.
Farm Worker Ministry Northwest is a member of the National Farm Worker Ministry, a USA-wide coalition of over 30 faith denominations and religious orders. NFWM is our 501C3 fiscal sponsor organization. http://nfwm.org/
Our volunteer board of directors meets virtually periodically throughout the year to plan and implement actions in support of our farm worker partners. To learn more, please contact the Rev. Connie Yost, President, fwm-nw@nfwm.org, 503-385-2135.
Volunteer to help us support farm workers through social media
FWM-NW is looking for a volunteer who is dedicated to justice for farm workers to help us with Facebook and our website in order to help us educate and mobilize the community in Oregon and Washington in support of farm worker campaigns.
The volunteer will review our farm worker partners’ social media and websites to keep the FMW-NW board updated on our partners’ activities.
The volunteer will get our Facebook page up and running and maintain it on a regular basis. Additionally, the volunteer will keep our website updated regularly and determine how our website, e-news (Mail Chimp) and Facebook page can work together.
If you can help us better serve farm workers, please contact the Rev. Connie Yost, President, Fwm-nw@nfwm.org, 503-385-2135
There's Work to Be Done!
¡Sí, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!
NFWM and FWM-NW Supports These Boycotts led by our Farm Worker Partners.
We hope you will, too!
