"Canadian company buys Ostrom amid ongoing worker discrimination suit", Feb 27 2023

A Canadian company recently purchased Ostrom Mushroom Farms, a major producer in the Pacific Northwest that’s still embroiled in a civil rights and discrimination lawsuit ...

... state investigators found the ... company had systematically fired over 140 employees, mostly women, and replaced them with men who picked at faster rates. Investigators also found the company had discriminated against domestic workers by hiring foreign workers instead...

After the purchase, announced on Feb. 15, Windmill Farms of Ashburn, Ontario, allegedly fired Ostrom’s remaining employees and rehired those who signed arbitration agreements for any labor disputes while offering them lower wages ...

Windmill Farms CEO Clay Taylor said in an email the company extended offers to all former employees at “market-competitive wages,” but did not elaborate further. The company did not comment on the union’s allegations Friday after multiple requests.

In the email, Taylor said the company is committed to providing a safe workplace environment free from discrimination and will contribute to the local community ...

The new ownership will be responsible for any fines that result from the citation, said

The new leadership has not shown intent to support workers’ continued efforts to unionize ...

“It’s remarkable that Ostrom would rather not exist than talk to us,” L&I spokesperson Dina Lorraine said.De Loera-Brust said of the sale. “This just shows the lengths with which companies will go to crush union activity.”...