About 170 migrant workers at four mushroom factory farms in B.C. have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, a move it called “monumental” in labour organizing because of the group’s precarious immigration status. 

Representatives of UFCW are encouraged by the certification of the workers at Highline Mushrooms in Abbotsford, a subsidiary of the Japanese-owned Sumitomo conglomerate. They hope it will be an inspiration for others toiling in the ever-growing agri-food industry, who have become an indispensable part of the global food supply chain...

Patrick Johnson, president of UFCW 1518... said the union has been supporting migrant workers in the community for some time and earlier this year, began helping them organize.

On June 12, the local was certified by the province as the bargaining agent for the Highline workers, who come from Guatemala, Mexico, India and Vietnam.

“These are the first mushroom farms in British Columbia to form a union,” said Johnson, whose local union has 28,000 members in total. There are only a handful of known farms in Canada with unionized migrant workers...

Johnson said the union had faced a lot of barriers, especially in communication with the workers, who didn’t speak a lot of English and had different mother tongues. Many workers were afraid of not being recalled to work if they joined because their livelihood, including housing, and status all depend on the employer...

In a statement to the Star, Highline said the company respects the employees’ decision to be part of a union and will work with them to continue to provide an “exceptional employee experience.”