PORTLAND, OR – Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Oregon’s farmworker union and the largest Latino organization in the state, today announced its endorsement of Governor Tina Kotek for a second term as Governor.
“Latino, immigrant, and farmworker communities know Governor Kotek doesn’t just talk – she delivers,” said Reyna Lopez, Executive Director of PCUN. “She led the fight to finally end the exclusion of farmworkers from overtime protections, has stood up for Oregon’s essential workers, and has never wavered in defending Oregon’s immigrant and refugee families from Donald Trump’s chaos and violence. At a time when Trump is driving up costs, attacking our fundamental rights, and targeting our communities, we need a governor who will stand her ground. Governor Kotek has proven she will – and PCUN is proud to endorse her.”
“I’m proud to stand with PCUN and the communities they fight for every day,” said Governor Kotek. “Over the past year, we have lived through moments unlike anything our state or country has seen before. When President Trump threatened our communities and tried to rip away the programs and protections our families rely on, we fought back and won. I will never back down or stop working to lower costs, defend our fundamental rights, and build an economy that works for everyone – because that is the kind of leader that Oregon families deserve.”
“As PCUNistas, we know Governor Tina Kotek has stood with farmworkers and immigrant families in important moments,” said PCUN member Don Enrique. “Across Oregon, farmworkers continue to face fear, instability, and pressure. This endorsement is about defending the progress that working people have made and building the power we need to continue fighting for our future.”
Throughout her career, Governor Kotek has been a steadfast champion for farmworkers, working families, and Oregon’s immigrant communities:
- Governor Kotek issued an executive order to create a new Interagency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Coordination to strengthen the state’s ability to protect immigrant and refugee communities and joined 31 Oregon mayors in calling for an immediate halt to unlawful ICE immigration enforcement actions in our communities.
- In 2026, Governor Kotek signed into law increased workers’ compensation benefits for injured workers to ensure Oregonians have the financial stability they need to recover and return to work.
- In 2025, Governor Kotek passed landmark legislation making Oregon the first state to expand unemployment benefits to striking workers, championing the bill early on to ensure it passed the legislature.
- Governor Kotek oversaw the rollout of Oregon’s landmark Farmworker Overtime law, ensuring farmworkers receive overtime pay and are brought in line with statewide standards by 2027, after championing its passage as Speaker.
- As Speaker, Governor Kotek created the nation’s first state-run retirement savings program for workers, passed legislation to raise the minimum wage across Oregon, and implemented the state’s paid family and medical leave program, which has paid out over $1 billion in benefits to more than 150,000 Oregonians as of March 2025.
PCUN joins a growing coalition supporting Governor Kotek’s reelection bid alongside the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, OSFFC, Oregon School Employees Association, Oregon Labor Federation, Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon Building Trades, North Coast Carpenters Union, SEIU Oregon, AFSCME Council 75, UFCW Local 555, The Mother PAC, Planned Parenthood Action Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon, Alliance for a Safe Oregon Action, and more.
ABOUT GOVERNOR KOTEK
Governor Tina Kotek has spent her career making history and fighting for others. Over the last three years, Governor Kotek has expanded access to affordable childcare, created thousands of new shelter beds, protected abortion access and vote-by-mail, and funded early literacy and summer learning programs. She has also been a national leader in pushing back against Donald Trump’s attacks on our communities, our healthcare, and our rights by blocking his illegal attempts to deploy the Oregon National Guard in our communities and working through the night to reverse his decision to strip food assistance from Oregonians by taking away SNAP benefits.
Governor Kotek is running for reelection to continue defending Oregon values and tackling the state’s biggest challenges – lowering costs, reducing homelessness, strengthening schools, expanding mental health and addiction care, and bringing affordable childcare to every corner of the state.