Posts tagged United Farm Workers
Farmworker union bill may impact Valley more than other new laws
January 3, 2023 // Farm workers and supporters of the bill celebrated its signing as a huge win for equalized rights for farm workers. Delano Mayor Bryan Osorio was one of the supporters who began the march with farm workers as they departed for their journey. “This was a very important bill for the United Farm Workers, and many allied organizations across the Central Valley and across California, who want farmworkers to have a better or safer way of voting in union elections,” Osorio said. California agricultural groups said the bill and supplemental agreement represents a dramatic departure from rules protecting farm employees from coercion in union votes. “We’re disappointed,” said California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson. “‘Card check is simply devoid of that privacy and the right to freely decide how you want to be represented based on what’s best for you and your family.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom approves farmworker unionization law
September 30, 2022 // The new law will allow farmworkers who provide much of the nation's fruits and vegetables to vote by mail in union elections as an alternative to physical locations. Proponents say that would help protect workers from union busting and other intimidation, while owners say such a system lacks necessary safeguards to prevent fraud. It will give owners a choice between “a flawed mail-ballot scheme or ... an unsupervised card-check scheme,” said the California Farm Bureau Federation in opposition before Newsom announced the agreement on additional safeguards. Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong,
Biden backs California farmworkers union bill as pressure on Newsom grows
September 6, 2022 // Biden in his statement did not name Newsom, who vetoed a similar bill last year, but Biden’s support comes as many advocates stage protests and vigils in Sacramento calling on the California Democrat to sign the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro have both urged Newsom to sign the bill. United Farm Workers president Teresa Romero,
Column: Farmworkers join California Labor Federation as Lorena Gonzalez takes over
July 29, 2022 // As Gonzalez told me Monday, two days before becoming the first woman and the first person of color to lead the Fed, joining with the farmworkers is a message: “We are going to ruffle some feathers, and you are not going to get any apologies.” McDonald’s, Amazon, Big Ag, Gov. Gavin Newsom — she’s talking to you. But I’ll get to that. UFW is down to fewer than 7,000 members by most counts and last fall suffered an ugly legislative defeat when Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed mail-in ballots for its unionization drives. immigrants, UFW President Teresa Romero, Cesar Chavez,
Labor Unions Trying Again for “Card Check” for California Farmworkers
April 14, 2022 // Card check elections give employers cause for concern. Commenters have noted that by taking away a voter’s secrecy, the employee’s vote is subject to intimidation because there is no longer voter anonymity – union representatives are able to track an employee’s votes. A union may also prefill a ballot card and present it to employee for signature without anything more. There is also concern of unions intimidating and threatening workers who do not sign off on the ballot cards, or pro-union employees using peer pressure to change a co-worker’s “vote.”
What a Surge in Union Organizing Means for Food and Farm Workers
March 25, 2022 // By organizing with the Warehouse Workers for Justice, many were able to get their jobs back and have their demands met. “What’s really interesting is that there’s a huge movement right now for worker centers and unions to work together ... to essentially surround the industry,” Oliva said. “So if an employer busts the union, the worker center emerges. If the worker center is unable to organize the workers, the union organizes them.”
UAW Vice President Estrada, head of Stellantis department, to retire
March 9, 2022 // "As I complete my term, I will continue my work on strategic national organizing campaigns in the EV sector to demand that new EV work be union built and existing members in the traditional technologies are not abandoned," Estrada wrote. "The new economy must create good union jobs, racial justice, benefit the communities and protect our planet."
Biden in Wilmington for labor talks
March 7, 2022 //