United Farm Workers call for boycott of Windmill Farms products at Tacoma rally

People traveled from across Washington state to rally outside of a Tacoma Safeway store in support of farm workers Monday afternoon. 

The United Farm Workers and their supporters are calling on Windmill Farms in Sunnyside to recognize the unionization efforts and give workers a contract. The union said workers have been trying to get recognition since 2021, back when the plant was owned by Ostrom Mushrooms. Windmill Farms bought Ostrom in 2023.

“Windmill Farms is not coming to the table to negotiate. So we’ll continue this boycott until farm workers get their union contract,” said Lionor Galindo, who is the political legislative coordinator for the union. 

The union is asking for people to boycott products sold by Windmill Farms.

“It’s not worth buying mushrooms that, in essence [are coming] off of the backs of people who are being exploited and overworked,” Galindo said. 

One demonstrator, Crisanto Serrano, said he worked at Windmill Farms for three years before he was laid off.  The union said the company has retaliated against pro-union workers. 

“Pues, fue un impacto muy pesado para mí, y lo que se puede hacer para… este… remediar (or restaurar) lo que pasó es que ténganos un contrato con la compañía para que se mejore todo,” Serrano said. 

He said the layoff had a big impact on him and he wants the company to give workers a contract so their situation can get better. 

Agricultural workers are excluded from state and federal laws that grant workers the right to organize, meaning there are no legal ramifications when an employer won’t recognize farm workers. 

The boycott, which the union first called for in mid-December, is the first one UFW has announced this decade. 

A person providing security for a United Farm Workers’ demonstration on Monday holds up a boycott sign. The union is calling on people to boycott Windmill Farms’ products. (Credit: Lauren Gallup / NWPB)

Union members from other labor groups in Tacoma showed up to Monday’s demonstration in support, including the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union and the Laborers’ International Union of North America. 

Tacoma City at-large council member Olgy Diaz also attended the demonstration in support of farm workers.

“ I’m the first Latina on the Tacoma City Council, so I know firsthand the challenges that face my folks in coming to this country and just finding any job that they can,” Diaz said.

The demonstration was held on Cesar Chavez Day. Chavez, a labor leader born into a farm worker family, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Dolores Huerta. That would later become the United Farm Workers.  

“It’s a really important day for us to be standing in solidarity here in Tacoma as a union town with the farm workers,” Diaz said.

Correction: A previous version of this story had an incorrect length of time that workers have been trying to receive union representation. The story has been updated.