12/15/2025 Washington Supreme Court to Hear Sunnyside Mushroom Workers Case, Signifying Major Step in Windmill Mushroom Fight

Sunnyside, WA - Last week, the Supreme Court of Washington State granted a motion by the United Farm Workers (UFW) and former workers at Windmill Farms in Sunnyside, WA to take up their case for discretionary review. After years of organizing, standing up to retaliation, and fighting for union recognition and safer working conditions, mushroom workers at Windmill Farms just won a crucial victory: the Washington Supreme Court has agreed to hear their appeal in UFW v. Greenwood, allowing their case to be heard, despite efforts by Windmill mushroom farms to force workers' claims into private arbitration.

The Washington Supreme Court takes only a limited number of cases each year. Its decision to review whether Windmill mushroom farms improperly forced workers into arbitration underscores the significance of this case for the entire state. This legal development marks an important next step in the years-long struggle of current and former workers at Windmill mushroom farms to defend their right to collective action. This case has the potential to affect workers' rights state-wide by prohibiting employers from using coercive arbitration agreements to silence workers.

Workers at Windmill Farms, a Canadian-owned and major mushroom producer in the Pacific Northwest based in Sunnyside, Washington, have been fighting for union representation with the UFW since 2022. The UFW has called for a boycott against Windmill-brand mushrooms that has been endorsed by the Washington State Labor Council, the Oregon AFL-CIO, and the Canadian Labour Congress until Windmill Farms agrees to negotiate a union contract. Washington State Law currently does not extend collective bargaining rights to agricultural workers, who remain excluded from federal labor law. The UFW and individual worker plaintiffs in this case are represented by Columbia Legal Services (CLS) and Martinez Aguilasocho Law (MAL).

"Workers at Windmill Farms did the right thing and exercised their rights as workers to seek to organize a union and to speak up against unjust and unsafe working conditions," said UFW President Teresa Romero. "For their efforts, they have been subjected to a relentless campaign of intimidation, retaliation, and firings. It is a small measure of justice that these workers will finally have their claims heard in court, despite the company's efforts to silence them. The full measure of justice will be the day that farm workers at Windmill Farms can finally benefit from the union contract they have fought and sacrificed for."

"We at CLS and MAL are very pleased that the Washington Supreme Court recognizes the importance of this case to workers' rights," said Ann Gong, attorney at Columbia Legal Services. "This case directly addresses a fundamental and urgent issue of broad public import. Arbitration strongly favors employers and deprives low-wage workers of important rights to a jury trial and appellate review. Farm workers in Washington have few protections and even less bargaining power, and it is crucial that we work to prevent employers from forcing vulnerable workers into arbitration agreements."

"This case highlights a basic injustice that farm workers know all too well," said Edgar Aguilasocho, attorney at Martinez Aguilasocho Law, Inc. "Because they are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, farm workers are already denied many of the protections most other workers take for granted. Forcing them into private arbitration only deepens that inequality by closing the courthouse doors altogether. Washington's Little Norris-LaGuardia Act was enacted to protect collective action as a public right, not to hide these disputes behind closed doors. The Supreme Court's decision to hear this case is an important step toward ensuring that farm workers' rights are enforced in the open, where fairness and accountability matter."

"I am very glad that the Washington Supreme court has taken up the appeal because it gives them an opportunity to fix the situation and I am hopeful that justice will prevail," said plaintiff Jose Martinez-Cuevas, a former worker at Windmill Farms. "I am happy with the attorneys who represent us because they have fought hard for our rights. In particular I am grateful to CLS who has been on our side supporting workers' rights."

###

The United Farm Workers is the United States' largest and oldest agricultural worker labor union representing farm workers in California, Oregon, Washington, and New York.

Martínez Aguilasocho Law, Inc. ("MAL") is a private, public interest law firm based in California's Central Valley and dedicated to the mission of improving the lives of farm workers and their families nationwide. For over twenty-five years, MAL attorneys have been representing the United Farm Workers of America and individual farm workers in all types of labor and employment matters.

Columbia Legal Services advocates for laws that advance social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. We work toward a vision of a Washington State in which every person enjoys full human rights and economic opportunities. www.columbialegal.org