For years, the women in one Yakima Valley mushroom plant were told the same thing: work faster, do not complain, and be grateful you have a job.
Breaks were cut short or skipped. Older women worked through pain. Supervisors raised their voices and made it clear that anyone who questioned conditions could be replaced.
Lorena and Rosaisela had both spent their lives harvesting the food that ends up on Washington’s tables. They are mothers, neighbors, and community leaders. They are also the people others turn to when something is wrong.
One day, “wrong” became impossible to ignore.
They began organizing inside the company. They kept track of missed breaks. They stood up for older coworkers whose bodies were exhausted after decades in the barns. They started asking questions that management did not want to answer.
And like so many workers before them, they were met with retaliation.
Workers were called into meetings one by one and disciplined. Others were pressured to choose between signing documents giving away their rights or lose their jobs. The message was unmistakable: stop organizing, or lose everything.
Lorena and Rosaisela chose something different. They chose to fight back and reached out to a trusted legal partner: Blanca at CLS.
Our team of advocates listened to their stories, believed them, and began documenting what was happening inside the plant. We drew on years of farmworker advocacy to help Lorena and Rosaisela understand their rights and options. With our partners, we helped them push back against the retaliation and shine a light on what the company wanted to keep in the dark.
Their courage made it possible for other workers to speak up. Your support made it possible for CLS to be there when they did.
When you give to CLS, you are not just funding a lawsuit or a hotline. You are standing with people like Lorena and Rosaisela in the moment they decide that silence is no longer an option.
Thank you for standing with farmworkers, for trusting their leadership, and for believing that every person deserves safety and dignity at work.
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