As the effects of this fire continue to impact workers and families throughout the region, Labor Community Services is mobilizing resources to provide emergency assistance, including air purifiers, PPE masks, food assistance, and other essential supplies. We encourage you to review the attached information and consider supporting this important relief effort.

If you are a member or aware of other members who have been directly affected by the fire and may be in need of assistance, please let us know so we can help connect them with available resources.

Thank you for your consideration and continued commitment to supporting working families in times of need.

LCS Lineage Fire Letter.pdf

February 18, 2026

Contact: Headquarters@lclaa.org

 

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) strongly opposes the bills collectively known as the “SAVE Act” — including the SAVE America Act, the Make Elections Great Again Act, and the original Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. Despite their name, these bills do nothing to protect our democracy — instead, they weaken it by creating new barriers that could disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans seeking to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

 

Our democracy depends on every eligible U.S. citizen having a fair and accessible opportunity to participate in our elections. Federal law prohibits noncitizen voting, and states already have systems in place to verify voter eligibility and correct rare administrative errors when they occur. These bills attempt to “fix” a system that isn’t broken. They are rooted in disinformation and false narratives of widespread voter fraud, claims that have been repeatedly disproven by the courts, audits, and independent investigations.

 

By requiring voters to present documents such as passports or birth certificates in person to register or update their voter registration information, the SAVE Act would create unnecessary and disproportionate barriers for millions of Americans — particularly people of color, voters with disabilities, seniors, women, rural voters, and low-income families. This includes the more than 36 million Latinos in the United States who are eligible to vote. 

 

The impact on women would be especially severe. An estimated 69 million married women have changed their last names and may not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name. As a result, millions of women and others who have changed their legal name could face additional burdens or be turned away from registering to vote, creating a trickle-down effect at the polls.

 

At LCLAA, we know there are no workers’ rights without civil rights. When access to the ballot is threatened, so too are the protections that safeguard workers and their families. These measures would disproportionately harm working-class communities who may be forced to miss work, pay for costly documents, or navigate bureaucratic hurdles simply to exercise their right to cast their ballot. For more information about the SAVE Act and its impact, please see our one-pager here.

 

LCLAA urges the Senate to reject the SAVE America Act and Congress to block any related legislation that weakens our democracy under the guise of protecting it. Our democracy is strongest when it includes — not excludes — the people it serves.

 

In Solidarity and Unity,
LCLAA National

Unionization has spillover effects that extend well beyond union workers? Competition means workers at non unionized firms see increased wages too. Heightened workplace safety norms can pull up whole industries. Union members improve their communities through heightened civic engagement; they are more likely to vote, donate to charity, and participate in a neighborhood projects.

Link to the petition: https://act.seiu.org/a/windmill_instar?ms=outreach

Tell Instar, the private equity company that owns Windmill mushrooms, to recognize the union their workers elected
Farm workers at Windmill Farms in Sunnyside, Washington elected to have UFW representation back in 2022 and have been fighting for union recognition ever since. Windmill Farms is one of the largest mushroom producing companies in Canada and now has expanded into the US. Windmill Farms is majorly financed by Instar Asset Management, a Canadian private equity firm, which bought the company in 2023 - after workers had already elected to have UFW representation. Take action today and tell Instar to use its influence to make sure that the labor dispute is resolved. Workers deserve the union they elected.

We've reached out to Instar multiple times, but they have ignored our communications despite their Diversity Statement which says, “We have implemented multiple strategies to promote the fair and safe treatment of people involved either directly and indirectly in the development and operation of our portfolio companies.”

As a result of the company's indifference, last December current and former workers from the Windmill Mushroom Farm in Sunnyside, formally announced their boycott of Windmill label mushrooms that are sold throughout the Pacific Northwest.

A worker who asked to remain anonymous shared why he supports the Windmill boycott. “At Windmill Farms we are mistreated. We are scolded for not doing the work properly, even though we are doing what is asked. We are shunned for asking the supervisors questions and we fear speaking with our co-workers. We want union representation to be secure through a union contract.” 

Workers are keeping up their fight. This summer, workers and supporters have held human billboards and delegations to multiple supermarkets throughout Washington and Oregon who sell Windmill Mushrooms asking the stores to support the boycott. 

Help the workers give the company a strong message that they are not backing down. They want to show both Instar and Windmill Farms the strong consumer support for the boycott. They plan to hand in petitions in person later this year. Sign their petition today!