‘Si se puede’: The rallying cry for Oregon farmworkers

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of reports during Hispanic Heritage Month.

WOODBURN, Ore. (KOIN) — Woodburn sits less than an hour south of Portland, a Willamette Valley agricultural city powered by the labor of farmworkers from immigrant and refugee communities — communities historically victim to exploitation in the workforce until they get a voice.

Since 1985, PCUN (short for Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, which means Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United) has been that voice for working Latino families in Oregon.

The original organizers “were very inspired by what was happening down in Delano, California, by Cesar Chavez. And in fact, one of his organizers was up in Oregon and helped us found PCUN,” said Executive Director Reyna Lopez. “So really the vision back then was to end exploitation and all of the effects that come with that for farmworkers.”

Over the last 5 years, PCUN has worked closely with OSHA to pass some of the strongest smoke and heat protections for farmers — and every person working outside in extreme conditions — in Oregon. They also recently worked with the Oregon legislature to replenish funds for farmworkers’ disaster relief under the Worker Relief Fund.

“It was $5 million that was allocated for farmworkers to be able to access if they’re losing wages because of extreme heat or extreme conditions outside,” Lopez said.

Their work in the community is only expanding, from connecting families to resources for rent assistance and mental health to immigration services.

“What we hear when people walk through the doors of the farmworkers service center is people want to know how they can get a pathway to legalization, people want to know when they can become a citizen now that they have a Green Card,” she told KOIN 6 News.

Though their work focuses predominantly on worksite and economic justice for Latino workers, PCUN is a part of an integrated network of sister Latino organizations that can help.

At the heart of all their work is the “Si Se Puede” spirit, that very phrase painted on a mural inside PCUN headquarters.

That stands as a reminder to Lopez and everyone who walks through the doors at PCUN that our voices are the most powerful when we raise them together.

“We can do it, si se puede,” Lopez said. “We can do that as a community, as a collective. We’re not going to do it alone.”