It’s always inspiring to me to see workers coming together to stand up for their rights in spite of incredible odds, so I was really moved when I learned about the Northwest Tree Planters and Farmworkers United out in Oregon.

This organization works to, “empower farmworkers to understand and take action against systematic exploitation and all of its effects. To achieve this end, PCUN is involved in community and workplace organizing on many different levels.”

The thing is, most of the workers in this organization are from Mexico or Columbia, and many speak indigenous languages rather than Spanish. Not to be deterred, PCUN uses multiple forms of media (including radio and theater) to do educational and grassroots outreach.

Given that employers often work very hard to make sure that traditional tensions between workers are exploited to their benefit, it’s always good to know that some workers are finding ways to negotiate that and become stronger because of it.