Annotations for Places: United States--pennsylvania

The number of migrant workers in this country has tripled in the last 15 years. According to a study by the Migrant Legal Action Program in Washington, there are now 3 million migrant laborers in the U.S.

Some of those workers made history recently when for the first time ever, Mexican migrants in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the heart of the nation's mushroom industry, voted to unionize.

From Philadelphia, Vicky Quay reports.

Chester County mushroom growers have hired Mexican nationals to pick their crops for 25 years, and in the past, there have been several attempts to unionize these workers, but none have been successful until now.

On July 13, the State Labor Board tallied ballots the workers cast in an election held last April. The results were 124 to 101, in favor of unionization. The workers' attorney, Bill Suárez-Potts, says the results should send a warning to other growers.

They could probably save themselves a lot of grief and just the turmoil that's been caused by the events of the last few months if they were to recognize the legitimate interests and concerns of their workforces.

Potts says poor working conditions and low wages spurred the union drive. The company plans to challenge the results.

Reporting for "Latino USA," I'm Vicky Quay in Philadelphia.